Night of Fire:The Prophecy
by Yunalia
Summary: Sell, a fifteen year old girl gets sent off to have her own adventure like her two older brothers.Upon adventureing she comes across a familiar place and is dragged into darkness and horror that Minecraftians hide within.What will she do?Reviews welcome.
1. Chapter 1 The First Night

Nights of Fire: The Prophecy

Ch.1 The First Night

I have just arrived on a newly generated world of Minecraft with an empty satchel bag and a backpack loosely hanging down. The area suddenly expanded before me into a world covered in hills and snow, the water frozen over with ice. I shivered gripping both my upper arms with my hands scanning the area for a place to shelter for the night I set off searching for a place to make it. I stood atop of a small hill side that was relatively flat with a few holes here and there. About twenty to thirty blocks away was a slight forest.

I worked for about two hours collecting wood from the trees and crafted my first work bench. Making a pick I dropped down into a small cavern filled with shallow water and found a vein of coal. Working for a few more hours mining stone and coal I checked my inventory and decided that was enough for the first night and climbed out going back to the relatively flat hill I had decided on. Digging up a stack of dirt I began stacking the dirt three high in a rectangle shape. My shelter finally made I noticed the light in the room began to dim and poked my head out the door to see the sun descending to the left of me.

Grabbing up my workbench that I had placed on the ground I hurried inside and blocked the door with dirt. It would take me a little craft a wooden door for the doorway. Outside cows mooed and bellowed as the night slowly took hold over the land. I crafted torches and placed them around the room so that I could see what I was doing and to make the dirt house a bit more homely. I placed the workbench at the rear of the shelter and sat down on the cold hard ground to make the door. I hammered and nailed away for thirty minutes and finally sat back wiping my forehead , surveying my craftsmanship.

It was my first time to make a door and it was a tad lopsided but it would work to shield my shelter from the wind and snow slightly. Later on I'd make a new one that was a bit better. I began to craft a sword and a furnace before I drug the door to the door way and fastened it to the dirt blocks on the side. I wasn't paying attention when I noticed footsteps coming towards me and a groan made my skin crawl. Turning around a zombie was right upon me.

I yelped swinging my sword chopping him into bits and finally slaying him. He dropped a feather as his body disappeared in smoke which I picked up and retreated inside. Sitting down in the middle of the small shelter I tried to regain my heart. He had scratched me a bit here and there but nothing too serious. Listening to the cows outside gave me some comfort in the fact that I wasn't alone as much as I thought.

The cows moos got further and further away as they wandered around. I sat in front of a torch getting warm since I had nothing to burn in the furnace right now. Watching the flame dance around on the stick my mind wandered back to home. All of my family had traversed Minecraft and had made a living out here. They would be kicked out of the house when they came of age to travel.

Of course the age limit was different in every house hold. The age limit for me and my siblings was fifteen. After my birthday my dad had awoken me, handed me a custom made back pack, a satchel that my mother had made for me, and opened the door. My brothers stood out in the yard with armor and swords equipped, their equipment gleaming in the morning light. They had escorted me to the border of the town that we lived in and waved me off as I walked away.

Tears fell down my face as I hugged my legs. I missed home. The scratches that I had received from the zombie were beginning to sting now as blood trickled down my arm slowly. I shivered and cried more, listening to the things outside that wanted to harm me walk about. I wondered how my brothers faired their first night.

I took more torches and put them around me to heat the air a bit better. Maybe in the morning I'd find a different climate area. A nice warm place would be nice, after all, this was just my shelter. I could leave and make an actual home. I frowned, well now that I thought about it I didn't have to settle down, I could make houses all over Minecraft and have wealth everywhere! "I wonder if my brothers have a lot of houses?"

I began to get brave thinking about my brothers and how they lived. I picked up my sword and opened my door. Looking bout I noticed a zombie coming towards me up the hill. I braced myself and charged forward. Battling it to nothing and taking its loot, an arrow narrowly missed me as I noticed a skeleton not far from me.

It climbed the hill shooting, I retreated into my shelter. Sliding around the door frame I stabbed the skeleton repeatedly into his skull and slayed it. A spider hissed and leapt for me as I turned around and stabbed it, making it jump back. It leapt again letting me do a forward slash and stab it in its head, killing it. I picked up my first string and retreated inside not having any more damage done to me.

I smiled to myself as I had just fought several enemies on my first night and lived. It made me happy enough to know that I could fight like my brothers had, like my parents had, like everyone before me had. I knocked out a hole in the wall to look out and filled it back in. The air in the shelter seemed a bit warmer thanks to the burning torches. I'd feel much more comfortable if I had some wool to snuggle with.

Watching the world outside through the cracks in the door I began to hum a song my mom used to sing from the radio a long time ago. My parents had a large chunk of land that went on for a long time. Fields spanned across the land with wheat and trees, cobblestone makers, and a huge field just for animals to spawn in so that dad and mom could get hides and pork easily and not travel all over to make just one kill for something. Minecraft had changes happening to it every couple of months where things would be added and things would be fixed.

A normal day on a farm for us. We had TV, radio, and the like to keep up with what was going on in the world. Life was good and it got better when my brothers returned home from their adventures to settle down and help out with the chores. One brother tended to the trees while another tended to the wheat fields. I had to tend to the animals and feed them.

The animals seemed to like me for the most part. I liked them but when the food was served and I took the head count I always knew who got slaughtered. It made me slightly saddened that I had lost an animal to a butcher knife but I couldn't be affected by it, they were animals that helped us live in Minecraft from day to day. Help us make clothes and such to keep us warm at night. We were blocky humans that needed to be sustained to cultivate this world and others.

I remember when a young adventurer had opened up a cavern while mining close to a distant pork plant and caused a mob of creepers to get set off by his presence and destroy most of the plant. The stocks dropped a good bit in the pork industry and caused the plant to shut down for a while to rebuild. That was a three years back and the plant is now bigger and better than ever, producing pork raw or cooked for buyers twice as fast. Minecraftians lived life day by day doing the usual stuff, foraging, buying, building, and playing. It was our usual life here and everywhere it seemed.

There were sports networks with football, soccer, baseball, hockey, and spleef. Spleef was a good sport, it was me and my brothers favorite. Our town even made a spleef arena a few months after it came out and the town would all get up one afternoon and play round after round. Football was a bit more of a challenge cause Minecraftians couldn't really throw far, so fights would break out sometimes on the field during a game and referee's would have to run out and break them up. Usually the room would be put in complete darkness where hardly anyone could see and the TV. would be sent to a stand-by phase.

Me and my brothers played all the sports that came out in Minecraft from adventurer's to players. We always had fun on the farm, like chicken races and riding pigs. I even put a saddle on a cow and rode it around the farm and accidently trampled dad's newly planted wheat fields. I didn't know he had planted early that season. I also remember when my brothers let a creeper into the barn and closed the door, trapping it inside.

Dad almost had a heart attack when he opened the door and had a green penis running at him hissing and flashing. The barn had to be rebuilt after that and my brothers had to dye the wool red and make the barn like dad wanted it. Dad's ideas for buildings were very good and useful every time something was redone. He knew what kind of changes needed to be made to make the building more useful. The farm animals were herded into the barn when it would snow or rain.

Sometimes a pig would get struck by lightning and become a pig man which my brothers would have to burn. If the pigs or the cows were touched by a pig man they would be tainted and wouldn't be any good to us. It would be sad to see the pig man burning and squealing in pain but he wasn't a living being anymore.

We never really knew how they lived from lightning strikes to become a pig man but the preacher would always say it was the will of Notch, our creator. He was the one that was always making changes in the world and the land and the items that we use day to day. People build statues of him all over the place to signify their praise to the man we call God.

I lifted my head and wiped my eyes of the tears as I thought. I stood knocking out a window between two torches to see the sky lighting up. I had survived my first night. I turned back to my stuff and began to pack up everything for my big trek to find a different climate. I was nowhere near ready for a winter climate.

I removed the door and put it in my bag. I looked over the landscape to see the zombies and skeletons burning from the sun's rays. I took up my sword, adjusted my bag, placed the required items in the satchel that was across my shoulder and set off across the land to a new place.

My adventure had begun!


	2. Chapter 2  Snow Covered Wasteland

Ch.2 Snow Covered Wasteland

I struck out over the dips and gulley's, slipped and slid across patches of ice, and climbed up a steep Cliffside just to climb tall trees to look out across the snow covered land to find it bare of any type of hills or mountains, just flat raised ground that was only waist high. I decided to go across anyways; surely there would be something past the wintery fog that had risen with the coming sun. I went on forcing my way through the knee high snow that I had suddenly sunk down into. Within at least five minutes I couldn't feel my lower leg or my toes.

I put down my workbench and made a boat out of planks to travel across the water seeing as how the land had turned to the right sharply. Climbing down the embankment after picking up my workbench I took the boat out and placed it in the water. I wasn't sure where I was going to go but it had to be warmer than the place I was already in. I slipped and slid across the thick sheets of ice that covered the ocean below me. It was now midday and I was still not past the ice.

I was heading in a westerly direction, at least I thought. I slid on across the ice making my way through the rest of the day, the sun slowly sinking above me, my shadow getting longer and longer to the left of me as the sun fell and the day beginning to set. I noticed out in the edges of the ice there was lapping water. Was I getting out of the cold region? I felt wind coming from the West.

The winter air had yet to make it cold and I felt for the first time warmth that I seemed to have missed, even if it had been a day. I walked on further trying to hurry before the night fell when I noticed a beach on ahead of me. "Land!"

I noticed there was an ice bridge to the land and slid across it, hopping gaps in the ice that had melted away. I landed on lush green grass, the smell of oak trees and the smell of the beach made me get all excited. I was in a better climate! I took off my shoes and raced across the sand giggling as the warm sand seemed to bring life back into my toes. Falling to the sand face first I began to make a sand angel giggling while the pigs and chickens oinked and clucked at me.

They looked at me in confusion wondering why I was wallowing in sand. I sat up enjoying the warm air and leapt to my feet. I needed to build a new shelter! The sun was getting lower and lower, the sky was becoming purple. I hurriedly began to gather wood to make a better home but decided to save the wood and gather dirt, since it was a common resource.

I built a six by seven shelter, a little bigger than the one I made in the winter region. Knocking out a window to look out a skeleton shot at me which I narrowly dodged. I heard a _thunk_ as the arrow buried into the window sill where I had just been. I hid in the corner of my shelter and slid to look out with my sword ready. The skeleton slid with me letting me strike at his head and slay him.

I sighed in relief when a creeper was suddenly face to face with me hissing. I yelped springing back in time so he wouldn't blow and watched him calm down. I stood two blocks from him and smacked him three times to kill him. My heart pounded in my chest from the sudden surprise. Sitting on the other side of the shelter against the wall that faced the ocean I stared at the hole in the wall I had made.

Nothing seemed to be coming up to it anymore. Was it safe to check outside? Knocking out three blocks to check my surroundings I saw a zombie roaming the forest twenty paces away beyond some trees, a sheep swimming on the beach and everything else seemed to be clear enough. I knocked the dirt from the door and looked both ways before I saw a creeper appearing from behind a tree in front of me and running. I backed inside my house and replaced the dirt block, doing the same thing I had with the first creeper.

I felt like I was getting the hang of living out in the wild alone. The next thing on my agenda was to conquer a cave or my fear of caves. I'm taking one step at a time, getting my bearings of being alone, and realizing that survival is harder than I expected it to be. My parents made it look easy. Even my brothers.

I stared out at the ocean in the back of the house and sighed. "I wish I had a radio."

I gasped and face palmed myself feeling like an idiot. I fished around a secret compartment in my backpack and took out my MP3 player. Putting my ear buds in I leaned on the wall listening to some of my favorite anime songs. Yes, Minecraftian's did make anime, manga, and comic strips. Of course we had newspaper.

We can make bookshelves and paper after all. Where do you think the thrown away paper goes? We reuse thrown away paper. Each day a garbage collection comes for the paper in our unused chests that we have in a location of our homes and they take the paper to a plant that's near a river. Next day we have newspaper.

This goes on and on in an endless cycle. There is also a reed plant next to the newspaper building that the newspaper building built just for the news. You see, we are a race that is making our way to a bright future. We are ecofriendly in a very high way. We gather resources from the land, gather food from the animals instead of making fast food restaurants, and we are fit to live a hard life that is normal here in Minecraft.

On the far side of town there is a large site that's been cleared, several hundred miles long with a cobblestone wall around it to make sure no one can see inside. Each day a yard service comes to take care of the trees within the town and in our yards. They use a ton of bone meal, I don't see how they can collect that many bones but my brothers knew exactly what was going on when the place was being cleared and constructed.

It was a massive amount of monster grinders. My family's farm is on the edge of the town a little bit a ways hidden behind large hillsides along with other farmers. We never hear anything coming from the hidden area but something within me knows that deep within us Minecraftian's there's a dark spot for death that we crave for. We love it when we make simple contraptions that kill the mobs instead of getting killed by them. Makes our life that much simpler.

Easier.

Every time I went to bed my dad would sit in front of the fire whittling on a log that he had picked up from the wood pile out back and make small landscapes within the wood that he had seen or created. He even whittled his house he had built back in a world he had gone too. It was fallen in and condemned by now. It amazed me how he could be so detailed with a knife on a piece of small wood.

Every time I asked him how he could be that detailed with a regular knife he would gaze into the fire as if remembering something. His voice would get husky and he'd swallow a lump that had formed.

"You can do many things and learn a lot when you live on your own out there. Picking up a hobby here and there is normal just to keep yourself busy. When you have a place and you've done all that you think you can do these things seem natural; as if you've been doing them for a long while."

I always wondered why he would get a far off look while staring into the fire. It never occurred to me that his life, his dreams were tormented from his adventure's in Minecraft. What had dad seen to make him like this? I pondered every night of everyday on this, I even asked my brothers. The three of us couldn't really say. All my brothers said was that the wild out in Minecraft was a scary place for some.

Coming back to reality the breeze ruffled my plum colored hair making me blink and notice that the sun was rising at last. I had survived my second day. I wondered what I would do today and decided to start on a mining operation. I didn't really want to do caves right now so a mining operation seemed like a good idea. Who knows, I might drop down into a cave if I'm lucky.

I hoped that this wouldn't happen. I went to my crafting bench to find out that I didn't have any wood to make a wooden pickaxe and I had no stone to make a stone tool. I would have to gather. Checking outside I took out the door from my inventory and put it up hearing the familiar sounds of things being burned up by the sun. I went about collecting wood and lost track of just how much I intended to really get until I noticed the sun going down. I sprang from the dirt block I was using as a stool to get the last piece of wood and ran inside.

Checking my inventory I came out with sixty pieces of wood. Good god that was too much but then again also good. I decided to use the wooden planks I already had to make a wood floor. I worked throughout the night nailing and placing them just right, I also raised the roof and put wood blocks up there as my final roof. I extended the house one block on either side and made a basement.

I also added wood floors down there also and added murder holes around the house to kill whatever stalked me at night. I was already making a killing from working around the house and luring creepers and skeletons my way like this. I would have more but that would mean making my home even bigger and extending the murder hole perimeter or making a mob trap. Before I knew it the sun had risen again. It was now day three.

I giggled thinking back to what my family had told me. 'Keeping busy or sleeping makes the night pass more quickly. If you sleep you'll have the day to do what you could've done last night and be on another project in the morning.'

I began my day gathering wood and collecting seeds when I turned around to notice that three creepers and three spiders were charging for me. I stuffed everything in my bag and took off running for the water. Diving in I sank to the bottom and swam a ways away before pulling myself up onto the cold ice. The water was much colder than I thought it'd be near the bottom and my body began shivering immediately. The creepers circled around the place where I had just been and de-spawned.

I had no sword because I had used it up last night fighting off skeletons, zombies, and creepers in the murder holes. I swam back to the house and crafted a bed from the wool I had gotten from some sheep and crawled into it, my clothes on top of the furnace drying as I cooked some sand that I had gotten from the beach before coming home. Before I knew it I had passed out under the blankets of the bed nice and warm.

There was a growling sound that made me jump awake. I looked around to see that it was around midnight and the furnace had done its smelting of the glass. I slipped from the bed feeling the cold wood floor with my bare feet and removed the glass from the furnace. I began to place them in the designated holes in the wall and heard the growling sound once more. I realized it was my own stomach.

I hadn't eaten in four days and I was starving! I opened my chest that held my meat. Luckily I had gotten some when I was in the last shelter and began to eat a pork chop. Sitting in my bed eating I suddenly felt like have mushroom stew but I didn't have any mushrooms to make it. I'd forage for some tomorrow.

Next morning I got up and explored the land some to see just how big of a place I was living on. I gathered another stack of wood making a stack of sixty-four and gathered some more seeds. I climbed a really tall cliff that was a little ways above a thick coverage of trees at the base that I had to cut through. A creeper tried to sneak up on me but fell into a hole in front of me that I was looking down into. I smiled and laughed at him before leaving him to sulk.

Standing atop of the huge cliff I looked out to see that I was on an island that was surprisingly a good size. A few twenty miles in every direction as far as the eye could see. I had plenty of wood to cut from, plenty of caves to choose from. I made my way down and headed back home with dusk nearing. Tonight I was going to build my mine shaft. I made a wooden pick and began to build it in my basement where I had a two wooden plank wall that was located for my doorway and stairs.

For three days I mined that shaft, made two stacks of sixty-four ladders and sixty-four torches. I've learned how to use torches efficiently spacing them out every five to six blocks. Maybe more. My dad had a way of mining. He'd mine two blocks all the way down because you're not supposed to mine straight down. You might die in lava. Of course you get returned but you return with nothing and then you have to return home and be called a failure or what-not because you can't live up to the life of a true Minecraftian.

I don't want to return home to be honest. Not until I do everything I can. I'm just breaking the surface of what a Minecraftian can do. The memories of my family and of the town that I grew up in kept me going as I mined down into the depths of the world. Luckily I didn't hit a cave. But of course with one wrong strike I suddenly had lava pouring down from the ceiling.

I yelped and quickly patched it with a dirt block. This job had its dangerous perks. I climbed up the ladders back to my basement to smelt what I had collected while digging. As I waited for the iron to smelt I thought back to home once more. Dad had gotten a new job in a mining shaft that went through the land.

Every once in a while you'd hear a mining accident would happen from a lava pool that had been broken into. Burns had been sustained or one man had been lost. There were cave holes that some people didn't notice and would fall into them to their death. Then there the dangers of zombies, skeletons and spiders that sometimes lurked in caves that the miners sometimes broke into and were attacked. I remember when my dad came home early from an arrow to the chest by a skeleton.

He spent time in the hospital recuperating while my brothers went down in his place to do his job. Wouldn't you know they would hit diamond and bring home big bucks. When dad went back to work he had decided to have my brothers join him in mining. My brothers accepted of course since they had some knowledge of mining when they had gone off to live on their own. For a few days there wasn't any word from my dad or brothers.

Me and mom worried about them as we went about doing the farm chores. There had still been no word from them so mom decided for me to go down to the mining company and ask about them. I went down to the main office but the sign on it said closed. I found that odd and went down to the shaft operators office but it too said closed. What the hell was going on?

The only option I had left was to go down myself but I was only thirteen years old, not anywhere ready for mining or fighting. I loaded my bag with a sword, shovel, and a pick. I began to descend the ladder listening for something. As I reached the bottom and took out a mine cart from the docking bay I rode down the track to who knows where. Suddenly I saw some miners jogging up the track looking ragged and beaten up.

They leapt off the track as I flew by staring back at me like 'you're fucked' and went back to running. The mine cart hit booster rails and shot off with a burst of speed down the track that made me duck down in the cart a little more. The cart swerved around the corner almost tipping with sparks flying behind it, I prayed to Notch to watch over me as the cart hurtled down the track system to where ever it would end. I suddenly saw an end after ten minutes of riding and leapt out of the cart onto the landing pad. The cart hit a detector rail and was sent down another rail system and shot back towards the place she had come from.

I sighed and suddenly heard fighting going on down one of the tunnels. I went to each one listening and pin pointed where the sounds were coming from the most. I grabbed the strap on the bag and took off running down the hallway where the miners had been strip mining. An arrow shot past my head to the left making me duck and creep along the wall until I came to the opening of a war zone. The tunnel and broken into a large dark cavern that was pitch black at the top and monsters kept falling in from above.

"Not good one bit." I said to myself and spotted my brothers and my dad fighting back to back protecting a fallen miner.

I slid back into the strip mine thinking on what to do. I had to bring them home safe and sound. I looked around to see if I could find something to stop the large swarm of monsters from attacking and suddenly saw two lava pits located in two different places. A grin came to my face as I took out the pick and began to climb the wall of the cavern. I looked back to check on the miners to see that they had boxed themselves in a huge square from the monsters that was now circling.

I took the opportunity to begin a tunnel for the lava to flow in and fall down in the biggest spawning point for the monsters. With one last swing I knocked a hole into the pool above and had it running down the shoot I had made and fall right into the throng of the monsters, having them burn to bits. I giggled and climbed to the second pool and made another tunnel to have the lava run and fall into the second throng of monsters plus protect the exit. I knocked the hole out of the lava and had it run down the shoot and fall right where I wanted it too, burning up the monsters that were patrolling.

Mining some stone I began to make a way to the shelter that the miners had made and knocked a hole out into the side. I smiled at them. "Hey!"

"Sell!" my brothers cried out. "What are you doing here?"

I had them follow me and got a mine cart for each miner, sending them up to the surface. When we were finally all out I shut the hatch that was over the shaft and put the lock on it. The mine operator and the actual owner came running towards us in joy that everyone was alive. I gave the pick, shovel, and the sword back and looked to my dad and brothers. "Mining's over. Let's go home."

Later on in the month we read in the paper where the mining operator and owner had been sued by the workers. My brothers and dad were happy with that outcome and went on doing their farming like usual. My mom knows about the risk I took just going down into the mines to save them. What I had done instead of the owner was a lot greater than most would have done which surprises me a great deal. I figured all Minecraftians were fighters and the like until dad told me not all Minecraftians left to go live on their own.

I learned that day that bravery was in some people and different in others. Our family had the bravery like some while others didn't. It took a lot to be brave for some, to conquer their fears. I stared at the iron bars that were in my hands and placed them in the chest for later. I needed more to make the things I wanted to make.

That would have to wait until tomorrow. For now I needed sleep. I did just that and dreamed of better days back at home.


	3. Chapter 3  Strip Mine Blood

Ch.3 Strip Mine Blood

I began the task of mining straight down within my basement. I had crafted ladders just to get up and out of the mine shaft when I needed to get something. Working without a break I accomplished the mine shaft within two days. I had crafted two stacks of sixty- four ladders and used almost all of them. Now to make the main mining operation rooms.

Counting thirty blocks I made a step off from the ladder to the main room and began to mine out four rooms and extend it into four long three wide hallways. One of these would be a storage room that I would keep extending while the other three hallways were strip mines that I would gather what I needed from. I found a few veins of iron and a lot of coal. It was a good sign, these mines would most defiantly work for me. I sat down in the room of the main room of one of the shafts and ate on a piece of cooked pork. The stuffy air made me feel tired and claustrophobic slightly.

I knew the walls weren't moving in on me, that it was just my head playing tricks on me. I decided to go up and get some air. As I got closer to the surface I began to hear a noise that I knew from back home. The smell of damp grass and falling water was reaching my nose. It was raining above me.

I climbed from the shaft and noticed that water was running into the basement. I crafted half slabs and placed them in the murder holes to fix the problem. I wouldn't really need the murder holes much now since I was going to be using the mine shaft for something else other than mining. I sat on the basement floor listening to the rain and thought back to when me and my brothers used to hang out in the dairy house eating ice pops that mom would make for us. Whenever it would rain we liked to hang out and watch it while eating the ice pops and make up small adventures in our heads.

We'd laugh and play while throwing hay at one another. The cows would watch us playing and moo at us enjoying the show. We'd also shoot one another with the cow's milk. I sprawled out on the wooden floor eating the pork chop and slowly drifted asleep. I didn't notice I had at all.

I stood next to the fields that contained the pigs in one field, cows in one, and sheep in another. I stared at it all for a moment and realized that dad had changed it all since I had been gone. I turned around to see dad having a time with the old mare that he used to plow with. She wasn't happy one bit because no one had fed her a sugar cube. I usually did when I went about feeding the animals in the morning and tending to them.

I heard a sound and saw my brothers' horse playing with one another. I wasn't surprised at their antics. I went inside the house and saw my mom sewing some tanned leather together for a shirt or something. Upon closer inspection I saw that the leather had initials stamped into the edge where my mom would sew into later to hide it. The initials meant that the leather had come from the city.

The city's leather was much more expensive than the neighboring towns' because they had more machines than the towns'. The neighboring towns' had windmill powered tanning machines that would break if it rained and would be down for a day or two to be repaired. It told me that the neighboring towns' windmills were down from the rain to make mom go to the market and buy from the city's stall. I smiled at her and sat on the couch watching. I wished I could sew like her, my stitches were so uneven and crazy.

Looking out the bay window behind me at the many fields that we used I saw the old oak tree that had branches splaying every which way, with its two trunks intertwined with one another as if they were lovers. I missed climbing that tree, I missed hanging upside down on its highest branch and making my mom scared. She would fuss at me so much until dad would get annoyed with her and order me down. It was me and my brother's favorite place on the farm. It also held a secret beneath it within its soil that I buried there a long time ago with someone special.

I opened the front door that was in the kitchen and walked out to the oak tree. The wind made the branches sway lightly up and down as if the wind was tickling it making its leaves flutter in laughter. I had good memories under this tree. It always made me smile when I was depressed when I thought back to them.

That special person whom I've forgotten his name now. He moved away to the city with his parents and I never heard from him again. He should be on his own adventure too right now if he and his parents still go by that rule.

"Sell?"

I turned to one of my brothers that had said my name and saw that it was Toc, his hair swept to the side and a small ponytail in the back. His red eyes staring back into mine with surprise.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were on your adventure?"

"I still am. I came to see how you all were doing." I smiled and looked out over the farm. "I see dad's making some changes."

Toc nodded. "He said he gave some thought over your ideas. They seem to have a good vibe about them. They seem to be very efficient." Toc turned to me confused. "If you're still on your adventure how are you here? You want me to go get mom and dad?"

"No." I said quickly moving some strands of hair from the side of my face that were bothering me. "I've already seen them. I don't want them to know I came to see you all. I was just checking."

"Checking? More like home sick for you to project yourself like this," Toc replied with a grin that told me he was playing with me. "Your projecting has gotten better. I'm surprised you've been walking across the farm. I didn't even notice until I looked up here and saw you."

"Our connection hasn't faded one bit." I smiled leaning against the tree. "Tell Des that I said to repair the barn door. It's looking crooked. Tell dad to look up a SMERF. I want you and Des to build a mob trap beneath the barn under the saddle stall in the back. Have them drowned or hit a lava blade. Just don't let dad hear them."

Toc looked at me uncertain. "Why are you telling me all this? Sell, what's the matter?"

I wiped tears from my eyes holding back a sniffle. "I miss you all so much but I'm making it here. It's hard and scary at times. I miss the chores and I miss helping dad. Mom had to go to the market and I'm sure she got a bad deal on that tanned leather."

Toc hugged me and kissed my head. "Sell, we're fine. The farm is good, the crops are good, the animals are good and you spoiled that damn mare on sugar cubes but I haven't told dad that."

I sniffled into his shirt. "Give her sugar cubes. It'll make her happy. I know she misses me."

"We all do."

Toc and I turned to see Des with a shovel in his hand. His hair grown out and pulled back into a pony tail like his brother but side burns grown out and down to his chin. His red eyes looked from me to Toc. He stuck the shovel into the ground and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back as Toc hugged us all.

"Sell, we miss you so much. Dad's not happy and mom doesn't sing like she usually does."

"I'll be home as soon as possible. Once I finish up making my island into something I'll be back. I promise." I looked up at them smiling rubbing tears from my face. "Tell mom to make you two and dad some jackets. It'll be winter soon. Harvest the crops before the cold gets to them. Make the animals eat up and store fat, we all know the ground will be hard as ice."

They smiled and nodded. Toc sniffled and looked out at the wheat that waved in the wind. "Get home quick, Sell. Mom is worrying about you daily. We'll fix the barn up and build that mob trap and have dad do some research on that thing. SMERF wasn't it?"

Des snapped his fingers. "I know what that is! Mom would love that!"

I stepped away from them wiping my eyes and looking out at the sunset. "Mom would like a flower shop at the market on the corner next to the fountain. She'll show you her plans that she's drawn up. Look into it once you get that SMERF working. Okay?"

Before anything was said I woke up crying on the floor. I curled up into a ball letting the tears flow. I hated projecting sometimes. I wished I could stay there with them and help but my adventure wasn't over. It had hardly begun.

Toc and Des had grown up more since I had left. They would be looking to settle down soon if I recall correctly. They would be moving back to their place or build a new one in some town or city somewhere. I knew my brothers though and they didn't seem the type to be in the city. They liked the farm life as much as I did and mining.

They would more or less go to a mining town and settle down. Just like our dad would've done if he hadn't met mom in a town when he was passing through but that's a different story. I stood in the morning light and descended the ladder to do what I needed to do. Build a mob trap so I could make the things I wanted to make. I was going to build the island out and make it greater than it was now.

This was my island and I'd do everything I could to make it as great as it could possibly be and more.


	4. Chapter 4  Mob Grinder

Ch.4 Mob Grinder

I made two chests before starting to place the excess stone and dirt in. Later on I'd make other chests somewhere to put more in. I mined for days on end making the six by six mats that the mobs would spawn on and the channels that would carry the mobs to the shoot that would carry them up and drown them. I worked until I collapsed on one of the mats and slept until I woke up the next day or the day after, I can't remember. I can't even remember how many times I had to craft pick axes and shovels or went to the surface to place dirt and cobble in the chest.

I barely remember eating a pork chop but I do remember I did in fact eat. A huge thunderstorm hit over my head on the surface. I could hear the thunder that shook the sky. Rain poured down outside and I was happy that I wasn't stuck in it like once before back home. It was a day when we went to the market to get stuff.

I was around ten years old when I accompanied my mom to the market. We hadn't watched the weather channel to see if it was going to rain or not but looking up at the clear blue sky you wouldn't think the sky would pour down rain. We went from stall to stall buying what mom needed for sewing and cooking. We got butter and other things that our town didn't have nor could make. We were almost done when the clouds changed in color and thunder boomed over head. My mom hurried off somewhere while I was being pushed about by the hurrying people.

I lost sight of mom and spun in circles trying to find her through the moving crowd. I called for her over and over but she couldn't hear me over all the people shouting that they were closing up due to rain. I began to panic and hurried off as thunder and lightening boomed over me making me jump out of my skin every time. All the shops and stalls were closed, all the doors were locked. Rain poured down on me soaking my clothes through in seconds.

"Mom! Mom! Where are you, mom? Mom!"

I took shelter from the rain underneath an awning that was over a doorway. I shook myself of water and began to drip dry. The rain was filling up the road and entering the sewers that were along the edge of the cobblestone street. The dirt blocks turned to mud and the gravel turned very loose. I stood there shaking from the cold and scared, flinching from the lightening and jumping from the thunder.

I began crying. I had lost my mom and was stuck in a bad thunderstorm. The water was beginning to puddle up near the steps of the doorway making me back up to the door. Was the town going to flood? The mayor had given permission for the waterways to install the pistons to block the water in the levy if the rain water ever became bad.

"Mom! Mom!"

Nothing but falling rain and rushing water in the drains could be heard. The streets were silent, I was the only one out there. I leaned on the door shivering thinking of mom and how she would react without me next to her as she was going home. She'd be panicking and wondering what happened to me. She always did worry about her kids more than any normal mother would.

There was a sound or sounds coming from some direction. It was hard to tell in the rain but it was distant. The sound was coming closer and sounded like an animal running through the rain trying to get some where. Maybe a cow had gotten out of its fence? The hooves would pause just a fraction in its gallop as if it was looking before going on.

I saw then, through the dense rain and fog, a rider and its horse galloping through the rain. The horse would be turned in circles so the rider could look around before turning it in a direction he wanted to go and spurring it on.

"Sell? Sell, where are you?" the rider yelled out.

It was my older brother Des! "Des! Here! Here I am! Des!"

Des turned the mare around and galloped towards me. He held out his hand while leaning out of the saddle and grabbed my out stretched hand, swinging me in the saddle in front of him. He urged the mare to run faster. Des leaned over me to shield me from the pouring rain which did little since he too was soaked.

"How did you know to come for me?" I asked him as I gripped the horses wet mane.

"Dad sent me and Toc to get you two before it began to rain," he replied. "We left an hour ago. Toc got mom but told him that you had gotten separated from her in the crowd. She sent me to come find you."

"Thank you, brother!" I smiled staring at the mare's mane. I was lucky to have such a good family that would come for me.

When we arrived back home my brother rode the horse into the stable and closed the barn door. We dried ourselves off with the towels that dad had left out hanging on a stall ring where the horse's bridle and tack would hang. While Des dried off the horse I went to the house and was hugged by mom and given a warm bath. She was in tears of worry and joy that night when Des brought me home. Of course the next day me and Des suffered from a really bad cold that lasted through out two weeks or so.

I blinked back tears that wanted to rise up. I couldn't cry right now, I was much too busy to stop and deal with them. I leaned against the wall that I hadn't torn down off what was remaining of my house and looked at my work. The mob drowner was fully operational. Now to rebuild my house. I turned around to the wall behind me and tore it down.

Looking at the hallway that went down to the mob trap viewing room I knocked a double doorway in the left side and built a seven by six room out of wood. I began to move the work bench, the furnace and a double chest into the room on the right. Descending down the ladder to the first step I began knocking a doorway and making a small six by seven room to hold the rest of my double chests that I had. This would be my storage room that I would enlarge sooner or later if I needed more space. I was almost done.

I now needed an exit and entrance to the hallway that went to the looting area of the mob trap. I knocked out a single doorway and built a small cobblestone porch with stairs leading down to the outside. I built two pillars and placed torches on them to mark the entrance. Sitting under a tree and looking at the house it still needed work but it would do. I would make it fancy and better looking later.

For now I had what I wanted, a mob drowner. I went to the viewing room below and went through the door. Very quickly I went around the room and took up all the torches and shot back to the surface. Within minutes I had mobs coming up the shoot and drowning, their items falling onto a pressure pad over a chest. I then made a storage room under the drowner with five chests.

I yawned collapsing on the bed in my new room. "I think I've done too much. Maybe a slight nap will do me some good."

I passed out asleep and dreamt of home like I had a few days ago. Howls rose up under the rising moon. A wolf pack that was just outside the town walls were on the hunt. I walked to the gate at the front of my family's farm. The gravel driveway leading the way to the house and barn.

On either side of me was fenced in pastures that held cows and the like. I found myself in the living room with a blink of my eye. Striding to the back where my parents were my mother had a smile on her face. My dad laying down drifting asleep.

"I can't believe Toc and Des. How did they know I wanted a flower shop?"

I smiled letting my hand grasp the wood of the doorway. They had done what I had told them. I turned and found myself in the barn staring at my brothers as they worked on pistons. They frowned at each other getting frustrated with the design of a SMERF.

"I can't stand this!" Toc leapt to his feet in anger and annoyance with the pistons. "This damn contraption is hell!"

I giggled and made them look up. "Sell!"

"Something so small and easy is getting you two worked up?" I smiled at them. "Does your little sister know how to build something that you two don't?"

They leaned back on the wooden floor raising a brow at me. I giggled and crouched down in front of them. "Ok. Look here…"

I laid out a graph on the floor with straw. My brothers leaned in to get a better look and blinked in surprise. I heard them go, "Oh."

I stood and sat down on an downward facing bucket. "Now build it out in that far field. I'll survey your work."

My brothers looked at one another and nodded. "As long as we get to talk to you all night."

We gathered all of the things that we would need and took it to the far field that dad hadn't touched, only to cut the grass that grew. I climbed a tree that was not too far from the fence line and looked down upon my brothers' construction. I giggled at them and swinging my legs as I sat on the branch. The SMERF began to take shape as I guided them in the construction. I rested my head against the trunk of the tree staring up through the clouds at the moon.

My brothers griped at one another and soon it all stopped. I looked over at them to see the SMERF up and running. They stood back and looked at their work. I slid down the tree trunk and walked over to them taking each of their hands. "Good job you two. Mom will be so surprised when you two give her loads and loads of flowers and seeds."

They looked down at me in silence before turning away and staring at the contraption. "Sister…"

I felt them tighten their grip on my hands. Something was wrong. What was wrong with them? What was wrong at home?


	5. Chapter 5  Blackness of Father

Ch.5 Blackness of Father

I stared up at them wondering what they were worried about. "Brothers'?"

They frowned to me with worried and fearful expressions. "Sell. Dad is not himself."

I let go of their hands and stepped up on the stone of the SMERF. I turned to them concerned. They stared back at me with their expressions. Toc fished something from his pocket and handed a piece of paper to me.

"This was in dad's study. It's blue prints of some sort."

I took the paper and immediately saw something that made my blood run cold. The paper held coordinates to the top left and a building in the middle. Turning the paper over its floor plans were laid out with every detail. "Why does dad have a massive PVP building blue print in his possession?"

"Sell, we're worried about dad." Des looked out towards the town that was dimly lit by the street lights. "He's been leaving the house and not returning until around dawn. He's been avoiding us and hardly speaking. Two days ago three men in black with skull masks came to the doorstep asking for him."

Skull masks? I looked at the paper under the moons light, the ink shining with a tinge of light blue from the moon. "What is father up too? Surely not building this?"

"We have a bad feeling about this, Sell." Toc said looking at his brother. "What do we do? Mom doesn't know about this."

I looked at the town and surveyed the land around the town past its protective walls. "Do some research. Don't dig your noses too deep. I don't want them coming for you two so soon."

They stared at me surprised at how I was taking this information. A light flicked on in the distant. Someone had awoken in the house. My brothers turned to the house as I stared past them. "Dad? Why would he be up at this time of night?"

I took a step and fleetingly sprinted across the grass and stood at the corner of the house, hidden by a growing oak. The front door opened allowing my dad to leave wearing a skull mask with string wrapped around his waist to his shoulder. A bag was hanging down from his other shoulder like a purse. I watched him walk off towards the town; his eyes that looked through the mask's eyes seemed different. I noticed them within the moon light.

They were different. They shone with a different light than they're usual light that was kind and loving. I followed after him without anyone noticing except for my brothers. We walked out to a small house that had three rooms and a large red wool rug in the middle of the living room. A piston pushed open a block that was hiding a stair case down.

We slid down until the passageway grew dim with the faint light of lava that was blocked by glass above. Where were we? Dad strode down a long cobblestone hall that had wooden walls on either side and ended up into a cobblestone wall with wooden floors. He stopped at an iron door. "Cracking skulls and snapping bones are all I can hear at night. May the God of Death and his skeleton children rule the land for all eternity."

I gasped out loud. My dad turned around to look behind him as if he heard me and looked straight at me. The door opened for me to see a person dressed as a skeleton from head to toe. A dim light coming from the room behind him. "I would've guessed it to be you, Rien. What's the matter?"

My dad stared at me as if he could see me standing there, looking at my expression. I stared into his eyes and suddenly didn't know who he was anymore, they had changed so much.

"Nothing's wrong. I must be hearing things. For a second there I thought…"

The skeleton man cocked its head. "Thought what?"

Dad turned back to the skeleton man and shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing. I hope I haven't missed anything?"

The skeleton man and dad went into the room, shutting the door. I felt my right arm cushion me as I fell against the wall in surprised shock. I blinked and had tears streaming down my face as the dark hallway enveloped me fully. I suddenly found myself in my bed laying down; the hallway, my dad, and the skeleton man were gone. Wolves howled outside not far from my house calling to each other as they roamed about hunting for whatever they were looking for.

The next morning I sat in bed listening to the drowning mobs as I stared out the window to the outside. I looked over to the ice that was floating in the water slightly connected to the other island across the water from me. I interlocked my fingers beneath my chin and thought about the important things that I wanted. My island, my home, and my family were all things that I held dear. If there was a secret in the family then this would most definitely make our family break apart from shock.

Did dad really want that? I spun around and leapt from the bed bring out cobblestone and sticks, making me a stone sword. I didn't want to waste my iron on such a thing even though it was stronger. I had too much cobblestone for my liking as most people always do. I collected the many bones I had in my possession from the mob grinder.

I needed protection from whatever I felt would be coming my way. I needed the wolves to guard me. I headed out my front door with my bag containing the nessicary items I needed and my weapons. The house would be fine while I was gone. I wouldn't be away long, hopefully the wolves would be easy to locate.

Heading across the island and coming up to the other side I stood at the edge on the beach looking out at the other island. Did the wolves swim here? There was suddenly a glint on the island like light reflecting off glass. "Huh? Reflecting light?"

I blinked and noticed a building not far from my island that was huge. Much bigger than I could anticipate. The wood was slightly darkened as if someone had built it out of pine blocks. Some windows had been knocked out, the house was slightly sagging in parts and there were holes in the roof. Why was a house out this far?

I brought out my boat and rowed across the water to the other island. I felt like I had seen this house before from some place as I neared. How could that be though? This was my first time to notice it. As I stepped from the boat I felt like I already knew what was awaiting me there.

The trees were disturbed by the cold winds that came from the winter biomes around the islands. I brought my hand up to stop my hair from going wild in my face. Looking up on the hillside that gradually rose up and wound around into a spire I saw a figure standing there that turned to me for a brief second. The trees swayed blocking my view. As they moved away the figure was gone.

Was I not alone? I could've sworn someone was standing there. I adjusted my bag, holding my sword across my right shoulder; I trudged up the hillside towards the mansion type house. Something stirred in me that was unsettling and dangerous. This mansion was very familiar to me as I neared its front yard courtyard.

But why?


	6. Chapter 6  The Devil's Child

Ch.6 The Devil's Child

The mansion was fifty blocks long and thirty blocks wide made out of pine trees. Tall glass windows reflected the sun in the two main side rooms while small windows welcomed guests in the front entrance. I stared up at the dilapidating mansion seeing where it was weathered in some spots. How did I know about this place? I touched the door knob and pulled open the door of the front entrance.

I stopped in the middle of an elaborately stoned floor of the eleven by five entrance room. "Such craftsmanship."

I looked at the four pillars that were located at each corner of the room. The entrance room had a flour block high ceiling with a domed center to accommodate a glass dome. I looked up into some of the cracked and broken glass windows before I pulled open the main doors to enter the mansion. A hallway led me to different rooms of the mansion. Four or five small rooms were storage or closets while the five main rooms of the bottom floor consisted of a meeting room, a living room, a kitchen, and a crafting room.

To the right and to the left of the hallway there were two staircases that went to the second floor. Carefully climbing up I was met by three bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a media room. Heading up the stairs once more I came to the attic that contained many chests. I looked around in the dusty room and noticed footprints on the floor. Someone had been here recently. That confirmed it, I wasn't alone out here.

Descending to the second floor I decided to look around. There should've been a study somewhere in this house if I wasn't mistaken. Better yet, there was a basement to this house as well. Heading to the first floor I looked all over for the entrance to the basement but found nothing. "Odd. The stairs should've been in one of these closets."

I felt the wall of each closet to find some hidden button or a pressure plate but found nothing. Was there not a basement? Was this house not the one I had seen somewhere before? I sat on a couch in the living room at a loss. I could've been wrong about this mansion, maybe I've never seen it before.

My thoughts about it, the floor plans, the doors, the way it was built, all of this felt like I had seen it before. Everything about this place felt familiar. I stared at the red rug that went around the center of the floor. I cocked my head at a worn place in it that slightly resembled a deliberate tear. I slid to my knees and pressed on the area.

Nothing happened. Damn it. I pressed on the area around the torn rug. Still nothing. How can this be?

I grabbed the torn rug and lifted it up to find a trapdoor beneath. Had that been in the floor plans? For some odd reason I knew that this had been added. I opened that hatch of the trap door and slid down the ladder that went down thirty blocks before heading back. If my calculations were correct, the hallway went back towards a rear closet.

As I went along the dimly lit hallway I noticed cobblestone that was used to patch up what used to be the entrance of the tunnel. I looked up at the ceiling and looked back down the tunnel. I had been right, someone had changed the floor plans slightly for some reason. It was well hidden in the closet so why would someone make another entrance and block up the other? If anyone were to come into the mansion they would go snooping in closets, everyone knew they held clothes or chests. I went on down the hall as quietly as I could but my shoes made slight taps anyways that echoed ahead of me.

The tunnel suddenly opened up to a four high room that followed the same floor plans as the mansion above. In the middle was a fountain with a pine tree growing up towards the surface with fences around it and half stone slabs. In the room to the left of me was a furnace room with many furnaces along the wall. At the end of the hall to the left was a fountain that was illuminated by glow stone and torches with water cascading down the cobblestone. At the end of the hall to the right was another fountain.

The room to the right of the fountain was a crafting room with a large glass dome wall to a pitch black room on the other side. I wandered over to the glass wondering what was in the room when I heard a growl on the other side followed by many other cries. A face with tusks came face to face with me on the other side of the window. I screamed flinging myself away. The creatures were huge with green skin and large hands, towering four and a half blocks higher than I was.

It pounded on the glass and I suddenly heard a shattering sound that made my heart stop. Whatever this beast was there was more than one as I took in three more on either side of the first one. They had broken the glass and were trying to come through wanting to kill me. I grabbed my sword and bolted from the room. "What the hell, what the hell, what the hell? What are those?"

I stopped in the hallway, the monsters uninterested in the glass after I had left. They were pounding on the wall with such ferocity I felt the ground start to shake beneath me. I stared with bulging eyes around at the other rooms. My jaw dropped when I noticed that the glass from the room I had just left was continued in the next two rooms. "No. No, no, no! This can't be happening!"

More of those beasts were pounding on the glass. I turned to staircase that went down and bolted out of the hallway almost tripping down the stairs. I found myself in a study. The very same study that I had been looking for. The three computers on the far end of the room, a desk that wrapped around the left side of the room, a meeting room to the right, and a fountain in the middle.

I suddenly felt myself press a pressure plate and a hidden staircase opened up before me by the help of pistons. Heading down to another hallway I felt my stomach clench at what was ahead. "Please say it isn't a laboratory."

It was. I noticed another room to the right of it. Looking inside I could see buttons, pressure plates, and levers. "A control room. What does it all control?"

"The destruction of monsters and the creation of new ones."

I spun around at the voice that had spoken to see a teen about my age with spiral horns on his head, blue eyes, and red spikey hair. His clothes were similar to a travelers and a survivor. I stared at him taking a step back, his eyes looking over every inch of me that made me feel uneasy. "Who are you?"

He flipped a lever that turned on the lights over head in the entire place. "I was born and raised here. They called me Hel."

"Hel?" I said out loud. "Why would they call you that? What are you?"

He could tell that I was shaking slightly; he could smell the fear that came from me. I could see it in his eyes. This boy seemed to be a great secret along with this mansion. Why? He turned away and walked out of the control room. I followed behind slowly watching him head over to the computers. He opened a chest that was in the wall that I hadn't noticed before and suddenly saw that it was meant to be hidden from some people with the help of pistons. He removed papers from the chest and handed them to me. "Everything in this chest told of what would be awaiting me here. I find it interesting that it's all happening."

I stared at him perplexed by what he was saying. "What's all happening?" I asked taking the papers and looking down at them. They were journal papers. Some contained documents that consisted of mobs and how some were affected by dissection. Others mixed and matched.

"The devil's child."

I looked at him not understanding what he was talking about. "Pardon?"

He flipped a switch and crossed his arms as he leaned on the desk staring at me. "The devil's child. You have the blood of him. My creator. "

"Notch?" I asked. Now I was totally confused and lost. I didn't understand what he was talking about.

He closed his eyes and sighed as if impatient on where this was going. He turned to the computer and typed in some things. I suddenly saw my family on the screen. It was when I was five. My brothers on either side of my mom and dad while I was in the center, my mom and dad's hands on either of my shoulders.

"How is this on here? Why is a picture of my family on here?"

The boy didn't respond. His fingers typed in more things that the computer brought up. I saw picture after picture of myself and my family as we grew up. I saw every stage of my life being pulled up on the screen. I stared at the screen as my head swam with questions.

"This is your fate. The fate that I was told that would come about for a young girl named Sell. I was created as a body guard." Hel replied keeping his back to me. "You are a new heir to the kingdom. To the Devil's Throne that your father is the Master of. He is the ruler of all that live and is gaining power once more. The devil's daughter will walk the path he has lain out."

"Like hell I will!" I spat making him turn slightly towards me.

"Read the papers. They are important for your survival. This is no joke, Ma'am."

Ma'am? He just addressed me as ma'am? What the hell was going on? He was the same age as me! I pointed at his back glaring. "Why do you address me like that? I'm not the devil's daughter and I will not follow some path that some creep has laid out! I want to know why my picture and my family's pictures are on these computers! What the fuck is all of this?"

"I won't repeat myself again." Hel said icily. "I will be watching. Now leave before it becomes nightfall. I don't want you to be harmed by the evil that roams here."

I looked at the papers in my hand. I stared at them hardly focusing on the writing. "Is this why my father went to see the skeleton people? Will this explain why I can see my family and speak with my brothers when I want too?"

Hel strode past me without a sound. "Come. I shall return you to the surface."

I looked at the computer screen and saw my mom holding me up as we were playing. I turned away and followed after the young man, escorting me to the surface. He walked me to the entrance and closed the door behind me. "Leave. Hurry, you only have three minutes left. Don't be seen by the wild animals."

I turned to him and laughed. "What wild animals? There are no wild animals out here. Just wolves."

He turned and walked away from the door. I clenched my fists at his rudeness. "Hey! Don't turn your back on me! You know how rude that is?"

I watched his disappear into the house and go into one of the rooms. It felt like he was saying something to me by his actions. I could hardly grasp it though. I turned and made my way to my boat that I had left at the beach. Climbing into it I pushed off and floated back to my home as the sun was starting to set.

Off in the distance of the water it looked like a fin rose up from the water and went back down again beneath the surface. I blinked but nothing was there. Was I imagining things? Were Hel's words making me get jumpy? Looking back at the mansion an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach made me shudder. So many questions.

The boat bumped up against the shallows of the beach letting me jump onto shore. I headed off across the island as quick as I could to get home. Pulling open the door of my house and closing it behind me I went into my bedroom and sat on my bed. The papers in my hand still. This was some big joke.

It had to be. Dad wasn't some ruler. He was a simple farmer that had turned to the bad side of a Minecraftian. There was no devil lord or whatever. "God, that's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. Devil's daughter. Hah!"

I picked up the papers and began reading them. All of this has got to be a lie somewhere. Surely Hel wasn't serious. None of it sounded serious, or was that just me? As I read I noticed that these papers were journal entries.

They dated back to when my dad had been on his adventure. As I read on through the night somewhere along the way I fell asleep and was cast into a world unbeknownst to me. A world that was just beginning and growing very slowly. Where the evils of the world made people smile and everywhere you looked there would only be faces of monsters. Monsters that helped one another to complete tasks when that was unheard of.

A place where I was created for a purpose that was hidden from the people around me, including the ones I loved.


	7. Chapter 7  Dream and Darkness

Ch.7 Dream and Darkness

I found myself in a world that seemed much older than the year I was born. Everything was old fashioned and not many things were as useful as it was during my time. I stood beneath an old oak that had branches splayed out every which way. The leaves of the tree let no light through. It was just a solid leafed tree that allowed plenty of shade from the sun.

I saw what appeared to be my dad when he was my age gathering the required things he needed to survive on. He had a full bag and was just finishing his gathering when the sun was going down. I watched him quickly run across the grass and leap into a house locking the door behind him. As the night fell on the home he sat in a corner building things. He began to dig up the wooden floor, placing ladders every other block to save some. Figuring that he was deep enough he began to build what appeared to be a mob grinder but this one was an older model.

You can tell it was an older model because it consisted of a lava blade. I watched him create another mob grinder and head back up to the surface, sealing it off. I hadn't noticed his other way down into the collection room. As I watched my dad build and tear down, making more things that were better I began to see how his life was changing. It was on the fourth year of his adventure when something happened.

I noticed that new mobs were starting to appear and father faced one of them while returning home in the dark. A Flame Wraith attacked, possessing him instantly. I saw how my father had become evil, building this absurd creations that worshipped this figure that resembled nothing to Notch or anything I had ever seen before. It was a skeleton with a robe around him that hooded his face and body, similar to the wraiths clothes. I knew this was a dream but I couldn't control myself when I became fearful of what my dad was turning into.

He was having a constant mental battle with the wraith within him. I watched him meditate morning and night but it would hardly help. Every night when he would meditate the wraith would take over his body and draw obscene things on the paper that dad would make during the day. Looking at the pictures that he drew I saw that none of them made much sense. There was going to be a trap that involved a lamb and a great fire would engulf it all.

A figure would emerge from the ashes holding onto the monsters that roamed Minecraft at night, the ones that haunted children's dreams and kept them in line. It hit me then that the trap would be for my dad. The wraith was going to use his body as a vessel for this person! I stared in horror at the papers and sank against a far wall and curled up not wanting to watch what was about to happen. Just like I had predicted it all came upon dad the next night.

His wails of pain and convulsions made me hide my face. The flames engulfing him. I began screaming from his pain. The sight of him writhing around in the flames as the skeletons were possessing him thanks to the wraith was just too much for me to handle. I couldn't stand it.

"I need to wake up! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up! Why won't I wake up?" I cried biting my arm. "I'm tired of seeing this!"

The flames, the screaming, everything was over as soon as it had begun. I cried in my little ball with a bleeding arm where I had bitten it. I was suddenly flung through the years as my father worked building the mansion without eating or hardly drinking. I stared as the place was built in front of me and slowly stood. It all came to me then, where I had seen this mansion before. It had been carved into a log by my dad some time ago.

He was always carving the rooms of the mansion into bits of wood that he would find. The future years came to a stop making me stumble, the dream messing with my brain slightly. A woman had been adventuring and had come upon his mansion. He took a liking to her, getting her trust, showing her around the mansion. I watched as they planned their life together and soon my brothers came along. Of course I came a few years later but something was different.

I was different. I watched my dad take me to the lab below and had me tested. I was a new heir to the skeletal lord. I was a happy baby for the most part. When I was three I was introduced to Hel, a young toddler that was part werewolf part ogre.

We were playmates that turned out to be really good friends. It all changed when I met another skeletal lord that was from afar. He was a lesser lord but still had some power. Enough to kill me. It was then that I saw what Hel had been made for and saw that he wasn't telling me lies.

I watched as Hel saved me from the lords attack, his left arm ripped open and bleeding badly. We ran away to a passageway that he knew about and found ourselves in the house safely. After that we moved to a town far away, leaving Hel behind with the mansion. I didn't know this; my memories had been messed with by dad. I stared at my younger self watching me and my dad do things around the town.

We blended in to survive. Light shone in my eyes making me flinch and shield myself from it. It didn't help much. I found myself in my bed laying there, the papers scattered about. I sat up slowly as everything washed over me.

My memories that I thought had come from the town were all slightly a lie. _'How could he?_' I thought to myself. 'How could dad do such a thing to his own children?'

I knew dad had some dark secrets within him but I didn't think it was this dark. This sort of darkness wasn't given to all Minecraftians. This darkness wasn't even in a Minecraftian and I realized then that I really didn't know myself at all. All of this that I had found out was heavy on my mind. I didn't realize that I had left the house and was gathering wood.

I was unaware of a lion that was stalking me until it was too late and I was looking into his jaws of death. My mouth screamed as my hands flung up to defend my face as I fell backwards. The male lion cried out in pain as it was harmed by something. I opened my eyes to see Hel crouching in front of me baring his teeth. The lion roared at him not standing down and charging.

Hel gave it a good punch, a round house kick, another punch and I saw the great cat fall out cold. I laid on the grass in shock. The boy's blue eyes turned to me and came face to face with mine.

"You ok?"

I stared into the blue eyes and slowly nodded. I felt myself yanked to my feet and standing a few blocks from the big cat. "You ever been told to look out for dangerous things?"

"Besides from Creepers, Zombies, and Skeletons. I never would've imagined coming face to face with a huge lion." I looked at Hel as I brushed myself off. "Why is there a zoo animal out here?"

He cocked his head at me. "Zoo animal?"

We stared at one another as if in confusion for a moment. It hit me that he had never seen the zoo. "You've never left this island have you?"

Hel shook his head. "I'm not allowed too. I was to guard the mansion. Didn't you read the papers?"

I sighed checking to see if my hair was ok and pulled out a few blades of grass. "Yeah. I had a dream to go along with it."

Hel suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him heading towards the mansion. "Good. I won't have to explain much. There's something for you that your dad left behind. I was to give it to you before I sent you off elsewhere. You aren't shielded here like you were back at home."

I followed after him awkwardly wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean by shielded? What's there to shield me from?"

"Apparently you didn't read everything," he grumbled as we came to the edge of the island. He turned to me with his blue eyes, not letting go of my hand. "Since you're the heir of a skeletal lord other lords will be after you. They will kill you."

"Kill me?" I stared back at him with a slight gaping mouth. "I thought that all lords were on the same side?"

I was suddenly scooped up into his arms. He slowly went into a crouch staring at the other island. "Far from it. They all have certain things they all want. Some will even go as far as world domination."

"World domination?" I practically screamed that and suddenly felt myself pressed up against Hel's chest as he leapt the small channel that was between our islands and land on the beach.

"I am the only defense you have of surviving right now. Once you get the items that were left for you I am to take you somewhere else. Where the other lords won't be able to find you for a while. At least until your training is done." Hel explained things to me while he walked into the mansion and went down to the basement. I was very still in his arms listening to everything.

This adventure that I was meant to go on was all a lie. It was meant to separate the heirs of the lords, to be unprotected. The greatest threat for a young heir was to meet a lord that wasn't their own. Every lord was an enemy except the fathers themselves. I and my brothers were lucky to be alive today because our father had protected us through everything.

"Your father did in fact love his children and his family very much. That's something that the possession couldn't take away from him."

We sat in the basement staring at the computer screen. Hel pressed a button under the desk. A piston allowed a chest to be pressed up to the surface of the floor. He looked to me expectantly. I looked at the chest and went over to it with caution. Within were a medallion and a whip. I took each in each hand staring at them with curiosity.

"In time I will tell you what those items are used for. For now all I can tell you is that I am a dangerous creature." Hel turned away from me and left the room.

I gasped as I recalled something long ago. "Hel! Hel, come here!"

He returned looking annoyed rubbing the inside of his ear with a finger. "Why must you be so loud?"

I held up the medallion so that he would focus on it. "This was used to tame you back then. You've been running wild all these years."

He eyes rested on me as his mouth went taught. "Damn."

"I'm remembering it all now. You were made to protect me and the secrets. You are to protect those secrets, whatever they may be!" I took a step towards him. "You are to protect me whether you like it or not. You're my guard dog."

He growled. "Don't say it like that. Makes it sound like I'm a mob bosses dog."

"Father is sort of like a mob boss if you look at it like that." I grinned.

"You are no such thing." He turned and walked towards the door before stopping only briefly. "At least not yet."

I chuckled following after him. I went where ever he went in the house talking to Hel about many things that I couldn't talk with to dad. Hel didn't seem to mind. It seemed like he enjoyed my company since he had been alone for so long. I couldn't imagine what it felt like to be alone waiting not knowing how long it would be until my purpose of being alive finally came along.

I sat against the far wall of the observatory room while Hel repaired the broken glass. Luckily all the mobs had been on the far wall and unaware of our presence. He finally finished after an hour, after he misplaced half the glass and had to break it, we headed up to the kitchen to make lunch. Taking bread and pork chops we made sandwiches that we toasted in the oven. We sat in the kitchen at the island talking over things that would happen to me once I finished my training.

Like my transformation that I would undergo. I was a tad nervous about all of this. Questions would jump into my mind. How would it feel to be consumed by fire? Would it hurt? How would I react to it all? Would I panic?

Hel lifted his bowl of water to his lips and drank it all in one gulp as his eyes stared at me. Putting the cup down he crossed his arms on the counter and went quiet. I felt like he was expecting me to say something. Was he? I looked at him while eating my sandwich.

Awkwardness crept between us or maybe I felt awkward?

"Would you stop staring at me? I can't eat."

He grinned. "You dislike being studied?"

"When I'm eating." I turned away from him, giving him my back. In the corner of my eye I could've sworn I saw something move outside. Turning to the window there was nothing there. I went back to eating and saw movement again. "Hel?"

"Yeah?" he replied refilling his bowl at the sink. His body tensed at something unseen. I looked at his back to see him staring into the water in the sink. "Damn. I had hoped this wouldn't come for another few days but it seems not."

I wondered what he was talking about and heard a huge explosion across the channel between the islands. My house had gone up in smoke, my mob grinder spewing out many, many mobs. All bent on destroying me, who trapped them there and sent them to a drowning demise. "What the hell..?"

"Get down!" Hel ordered spinning around.

I was suddenly forced down onto the hard wood floor by him as the entrance hall was destroyed. A huge fire ogre growling in the rubble. He stepped towards us with smoke trailing from his mouth. "What do we have here? A humanoid helping an heir? How uncommon."

I stared up at the ogre that was talking to us. What was he talking about? I looked to Hel to see that his eyes had changed to red and menacing. He was a werewolf that had been taken from his pack and slightly altered to protect me. Yet I still got scared of his eyes. They showed his wild side, which was dangerous and strong.

"I smell something full of shit," Hel replied straightening up in front of me. "What do you want with us?"

"Stop being stupid, wolf. I can see what she is! Give her to me and your mansion won't get burnt down like that poor excuse for a house just was." The ogre puffed smoke thumbed to the burning carnage across the channel.

I leapt to my feet, hurt by that. "Hey! That was a good excuse for my first time to make a house! Jerk!"

The fire ogre erupted in a belly jiggling laugh at me. "My god! She doesn't know how to build a house but she finds pride in what she built out of dirt and stone? What are you? Stupid?"

"I'm fifteen!" I barked at him. "For your information I'm quite a smart heir!"

My hand whipped out the collar that was hooked to the back of my pants and slung it about Hel's neck. A click was heard as the lock within the collar shut tight. The fire ogre raised a brow as I snapped the whip. "Hel, get me out of here!"

I was grabbed suddenly by him and felt myself get carried out of the mansion through the living room window. The trees flying by us as Hel ran across the island in leaps and bounds. I gripped his shoulder, my nails digging into his shirt. Red eyes chased after us from all sides, bobbing up and down as they ran. My breath caught in my chest as I saw a tree in our faces. My eyes shut tight for the impact.

The force of gravity pushed down on me as I was forced upwards very quickly. I was suddenly not in the arms of Hel any longer. More like suspended in midair. Looking down I saw Hel transformed batting away the other werewolves. The fire ogre was coming upon him pounding the ground to bits causing a major catastrophe of destruction behind him. Fire blazed up brightly blinding me.

"Hel!" I screamed shielding my eyes. Fur brushed the outsides of my arms as if something leapt up to my call. I looked up to see a werewolf suspended in the air in front of me with a collar about its neck. "Hel?"

My body suddenly felt like it was being sucked to bits into a vacuum. All breath left my body. Looking around I saw Hel changing back to his human form in a painful howl. As his half clothed self-uncurled he stared at me surprised. The terrain below us was suddenly falling away block by block into a dark void that spun around and around sucking the blocks into a vast blue pool.

"Sell!" Hel barked. I looked up to see him fling out his arm for me. Our hands barely touched one another. I felt myself get sucked away with the terrain.

With the last of my breath I did manage to scream out. "Hel!"

My body being tugged into the black spiraling void. I reached out for him, my vision fading from the lack of air. "Save me!"

Hel was getting farther and farther away, fading away. My body couldn't fight the increasing suction that was being produced by the vast blue below me. The world blurred into nothing comprehendible. I felt the blackness suck me under, cutting me off from the light. My body being compressed and stretched in many different ways. I suddenly felt myself get flung out somewhere with the last of my senses before I faded away into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8  Wolf and Storm

Ch.8 Wolf and Storm

Hel dropped back onto the grass shocked by the size of teleportation that just appeared to suck up Sell. Growling made him realize he wasn't yet done with their company. Looking around he counted twenty-five glowing red eyes that burned through him with malice. One of the werewolves stepped forward, drool coming from his snarling maw. _"How could you let her go?"_

"Not something I could've stopped if I wanted too," Hel replied calmly. The werewolves barked and snapped at him for the reply. It wasn't good enough for them. Nothing ever was.

Hel was an outcast to the werewolf brethren, a half breed that werewolves didn't tolerate at all. He learned this a long time ago when he was still just a pup after he had come into the care of Sell's father. None of his werewolf kin would accept him back when he didn't want to be with the Master any more. Over and over again the werewolves would attack him, force them off their territory, cause him much grief and pain, and accuse him of not being loyal to his blood. In the end he would return to the mansion doorstep, bloodied and bitten with tears running down his face.

Rien accepted him back with a smile that told Hel that he had known all along of what would happen. Hel found out that the only place he belonged was beside Rien. He couldn't return to the wild anymore. All that time he thought Rien had done something so wrong that Notch wouldn't even forgive him. It wasn't until later, after sneaking into the lab where Rien did his testing on monsters, that he found out what he was really used for and why.

Hel closed his eyes at the memory. The wolves pinned their ears back snapping at him.

_"Are you listening to us, half-breed? We put up with you living in that mansion for quite some time! We deserve payment!"_

Hel looked at the alpha of the pack. The alpha was in on the plan. Why was his kind like this? Why were they so hateful towards Minecraftians? "Payment? What good is payment when you don't use money? You live off the land like beggars!"

The werewolves arched their backs with fur bristling. _"How dare you insult us? If anyone's the beggar in this it's you! Backstabber!"_

Hel's eyes grew to be a darker shade of red towards these words. "What will it get you in life if you bring back an heir to them? Nothing! You just get used! I don't care if I'm being used in this deal but at least I know what I'm doing in life!"

The alpha snapped rising up on his hind legs to tower over Hel. Drool dripping from his muzzle, the great werewolf heaved in his chest from anger. _"Half-breed! We know what is expected of us in life and where our loyalties lie! That is to whoever has the greater hand in life! We always end up as the winners!"_

Hel smirked tossing a lock of hair from his face. "You're not even playing the game. Pawns."

All the werewolves leapt for him at once. A huge mass of black and brown fur coming together all around Hel. There was a tugging sensation at his feet then a jerk. The ground fell away sucking him into the spiraling dark that was eaten up by the vast blue. He allowed his air to be taken from him and fall into unconsciousness.

Where he would end up he didn't know. But he did know that it would be near Sell. That was how the collar system worked. His body fell back lifeless as he floated through the vast blue. He had experienced teleportation only once before when he was small and following around a young girl with purple short hair.

_"Why must you be so slow, Hel?"_

_ "I'm not slow! You just run too fast!"_

_ "How am I too fast for you? You just don't know how to run!"_

_ "That's such a lie! I'm coming for you…!"_

Who was he chasing? Why couldn't he remember the girl? Had she been a werewolf like him? That got along so well. His mind went fuzzy and focused on a huge mighty oak, the little girl with purple hair looking off into the sunset.

It was there that he had gotten his first kiss. Where was she now? He stood within the dream watching his smaller version kiss the little girl. He remembered she had a very caring heart. Deer would even come up to her and eat from her hand.

Whereas the deer would run from him. He watched as his smaller version grew up and become the guard for Rien's secrets. It was before he became the guard, before he grew up and met Rien that he met the girl. She had been the same age as him or was he older? Surely by a few months?

He would see his smaller version call her name but when he said it the name would be mute. He sighed leaning against a tree. He had visited every memory, every dream that took place from them seeking answers but with no luck. He remembered seeing Sell for the first time. Why couldn't he remember the girl?

He gripped the tree in the dream leaving claw marks in the wood. Turning away he walked off through the woods; his memories playing out between the trees as if several movies were going at once. Rien stood over him staring down at him in one memory.

_"Do you remember? Can you remember? Hel? Can you?"_

Hel stared at Rien's middle aged face. What had he meant by that back then?

_"Will you remember?"_

What had been my response to that?

_"You must remember!"_

Hel gasped sitting up panting. He blinked and realized he wasn't being teleported any longer. He was in a forest somewhere. Where was Sell? Sniffing around him he caught a faint smell of her walking away through the woods.

Standing up he strode off ducking the limbs and making his way through the trail she had chosen. "What a way to walk. This is more of a hassle than a trail."

"Hel?"

He perked up at Sell's call. He quickened his pace.

"Hell? Hel where are you?"

"I'm coming!" he yelled out. "Sell! Hang on!"

"Hel?"

"Sell, stay where you are!" he ordered out as he heard her voice getting farther away. But how could that be? He was following her scent. "Sell, I'm coming!"

"Hel? Hel?"

He growled going into a run. "I said I was coming!

Running through the woods he figured there would be an opening somewhere up ahead. As he ran on and on he noticed the woods were getting thicker. He slid to a stop. What was with these woods? Her calls were very faint now.

Had she come this way from her teleportation? He spun around and sprinted back the way he came. _'I'm such an idiot! How could I just run off like that and not notice?'_

He came to his teleportation spot and listened. Her yells were getting farther. "Sell?"

Silence now.

He sniffed for the scent like before and noticed it went another way. He had been following her scent to her teleportation spot. He struck out to the North. The trees flying by and getting thinner. She had found a way out. "Sell!"

Fear was in her scent. There was suddenly a musk smell with dried blood. Something was chasing her! He quickened his run.

_"You don't know how to run!"_

He suddenly saw a figment of his imagination running ahead of him. The little girl with short purple hair. Wavering in and out getting farther and farther head. Laughing at him. He growled at her.

"I can run! I'm coming to get you!"

His left arm reached out for her shoulder. She was getting closer to her. "I've got you now!"

The girl spun around looking fearful. Her hair grown out and waving behind her as she ran. "Hel?"

He saw what was reflecting in her eyes. He turned back in time to see a bear lunging for them. He lunged in a step scooping her up and leapt up flipping backwards. She looked down to see them flip over the length of the bear as it charged on ahead.

I couldn't believe he would rescue me again in such a short time. I couldn't think of anyone else to call but him. He must think I'm such a trouble bringer and be annoyed with me. I watched him as he landed on an upper branch of a tree and sprang off back through the woods so that the bear couldn't chase us any longer. Why hadn't I thought of that?

He finally stopped and checked around us before jumping down into a meadow. He let me down onto my feet and straightened back up. I saw his red eyes had changed back to brilliant blue. He was calm once again. He hunched slightly and frowned.

"What's the matter?" I asked looking up at him.

"Rain."

Sure enough the sky fell down upon us. Thunder and lightning boomed and cracked the sky in two. He took my wrist and led me to a huge oak tree that had many limbs sprouting in many different directions. I stared up at the tree taken back by its beauty, looking up at its core through its branches.

"Wow. This is a beautiful tree."

Hel looked up at it and nodded. "Let me guess. It'll be our home?"

I smiled. "Yup!"

He lifted me up and sprang onto a nearby branch and placed me there to sit. The rain never touched us as we sat inside its sheltering leaves listening to the rain fall. It was a peaceful moment. Long enough for me to see a gentle side to Hel as he slipped off into a small nap. He enjoyed listening to the rain fall as much as I did.

"Why do you seek trouble wherever you go?" he muttered in his sleep. "It's not that I don't mind. I don't. I just wish it was a more safe place for you to live."

I listened to him leaning against the oak. I smiled staring up at him. _'You really do have a soft side for others than you portray.'_


	9. Chapter 9  Wolf and Storm Part 2

Ch.9 Wolf and Storm Part 2

I awoke with the sun rising. And birds sang from high up in the tree. I looked over to the branch above me to see that Hel wasn't there. I sat up rubbing my eyes and slid down the trunk of the tree to the ground below. Deer that were in the thick of the trees sprinted away from my sudden appearance.

I watched them leap away through the trees and disappear in the trunks. I decided to go and see what food I could find for us. Fixing my troubled long purple hair and making it do right once more I headed into the woods. I wondered where Hel could've gone so early in the morning. Usually he would say something.

Heading through the trees with hardly a sound I found the deer herd from before. A buck and several females with two fawns bounding around playing with one another. I hid beneath the trees watching them enjoying themselves. A stick in the forest a bit away broke making the deer stand alert, their ears erect pinpointed forward at the nose. I saw the buck raise its tail and leap away bellowing out its cry of retreat.

A huge dark brown beast sprang from the woods landing on one of the female deer and taking it down. I gasped at the huge werewolf. How could Hel do such a thing? The werewolf wagged its tail out of joy at his successful hunt.

"Hel!" I barked storming from the trees. "How could you kill such an innocent creature? You should've just left them be!"

The werewolf turned to me raising a brow. His lip twitched up into a growl at me. I slapped his muzzle to the side forcefully. "Don't you growl at me, sir! I'll make you tuck that tail!"

The werewolf rose up over me snarling in rage. I gasped and felt like this wasn't Hel. The feeling got worse and worse and I fell back onto the grass in fear. "Uh oh. You're not him!"

The werewolf snapped its jaws. I saw his eyes lunging closer to me suddenly. I shut my eyes and blocked my face with my arms waiting for the pain. _Hel!_ The pain never came but a sickening crack and a slight whimper could be heard. Looking over my arms I saw a great black werewolf pinning down the huge dark brown one. They snapped at one another jawing. The great black werewolf brought his paw across the other werewolf's face making it yelp and cower behind its huge paws. It yelped and yelped.

"Get off him!" I turned my head to see an iron sword get flung through the woods at Hel.

I sprang up flinging a block of wood. _You've got to make it!_ "Hel!"

_Thunk!_

Hel sprang away behind me and crouched there as the iron sword buried itself in the block of wood. The other werewolf rolled over onto its paws and looked to the person who threw the sword. I saw a boy near my age step from the trees and stand next to the dark brown werewolf. His grey eyes looked into my red ones with a glare. His chocolate wavy hair had a few sticks and leaves stuck in it from him running through the woods. "Who the hell are you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." I countered as Hel snaked his head level with my shoulder and growled. "You tried to kill Hel."

"He tried to kill Rayr!" the boy snapped jabbing his finger at Hel. "How can you protect such a beast? Where did you come from anyways?"

I rested a hand on Hel's muzzle. "He is my protection. I will protect him at any cost. If I knew how to tell you where I came from and how I got here I would. I'm not sure though."

Hel kept his eyes fixated on the werewolf that was crouched next to the boy. "_I do hope you two aren't working for the evil of the dark lands."_

The boy and the werewolf seemed to get enraged over that. "Who do you think we're running from? Those bastards took everything from me! Dad, my mom, my family, even my home and town! Everything's gone!"

"They can do that?" I asked in a mutter with shock. "I thought they only went after the heirs and the lords?"

"If the lord has a town they will." The boy replied. "How do you know about this? If you're an heir to a lord you're the first female one I've come across."

Hel turned his gaze to me. _"You are correct. An heir to a lord is usually male. It's rare that a female would be an heir even though she has two older brothers. Sadly they didn't have the DNA to take over their father's legacy. It was within the youngest. _

_"Which is also very rare since it's usually in the first child or the second if not both."_

The boy turned away with a deep frown. "Such an annoyance. A female heir. Females can't hold up the male role of this one bit!"

The boy yanked the sword from the block of wood and strode away through the woods. Sell turned to Hel wondering what he meant. "Hel? Will I burden the lineage?"

Hel looked down at her with his red eyes. _"Pay no heed to what the boy says. He knows not what he speaks of. Come, I shall give you a history lesson that your father gave to me about all of this. We will forage also while we talk."_

I smiled walking beside him. As we walked searching for food he told me of three great wars that occurred in Minecraft. Wars that lords fought to bring peace to the land once more. The War of Damnation, The Cycle of Blood, and The Cycle of the Damned. Three great lords were behind them that defeated the evil and reigned in the peace once more.

Rien, Ananon, and Lones. Ananon though wasn't a lord but a lady. She had been the last of the three great lords that ruled over the evil before she died. Rien and Lones took up the slack but it was too great for the both of them. Having a third person to help with the burden had been nice.

The two lords had no choice but to go into hiding as the evil grew in numbers. As time went by Rien and Lone attacked from the shadows at the small bands that would fall upon a town. They would avoid a full confrontation since they couldn't handle it at the time. Now, with sixteen plus years gone by since the last war the evil was rising up and getting stronger than before. A new lord had ascended within the darkness that Rien nor Lone knew of.

I sat beneath a tree with Hel who had transformed back into his human self. He had caught bunnies and were stringing them together to carry back to the tree.

"I wonder if the dream I had of dad going down into a secret place beneath the town was his group?"

Hel turned to me wondering what I was talking about. I turned back to him and realized I hadn't told him of anything I had seen. I hugged my knees not knowing where to start. "A few nights ago back at the island in my house I dreamt of dad."

I went on to tell him about my ability to project and talk with my brothers. How I had followed dad and overheard a conversation between them. It now all made sense to me about dad's secret that he had kept from his family for so long. The sense that I had attained from him over the years when he would stare into the fire. Hel sat there staring at me with interest.

I sat there staring at a yellow flower next to me. "I knew there was a deep dark secret dad was hiding within him. It would send chills through me though each time I tried to think what it could be. I guess I kind of knew that it would deal with the monsters of the darkness somewhere along the way."

"It's the sense of what was handed down to you to be able to get that much out of him just by observing his actions," Hel said going back to his rabbits. "It actually surprises me that you've caught onto your ability at an early age and perfected it."

"Is that good?" I asked cocking my head.

"Your father told me that it was an exceptional trademark to the skeletal lord race. You might be an exceptional heir but you still have much to learn about the things around you." Hel stood and put the rabbits over his shoulder before looking down at me. "Come on. We've got things to do today."

I stood slowly watching him walk away. "What about that boy?"

Hel kept walking. He wasn't concerned over the boy that we had met or the werewolf. "What about him?"

"Good or evil?" I asked walking after him.

"That depends on his heart."

I stared into the soulless black eyes of a dead rabbit. I couldn't understand how the boy felt. I was sure loneliness wasn't great.

_Painful._

I stared up at the back of Hel. I didn't understand his loneliness either. He had been waiting for me for so long like my father had instructed him to do. All that time he had remained on the islands facing the other werewolves that roamed there. He had known all the things that would come for me.

Yet he didn't shy from the things to come. He wasn't afraid. I couldn't understand why he wasn't afraid of it all. Was it how dad had trained him to be? I sighed trying to make my mind cease with all the thoughts that popped up.

It was starting to give me a headache slightly.

We arrived back at the oak with no place in the tree to call it home yet. I began to make small rooms that were six by six within the oak tree. Hel went out gathering stone by making a small mine not too far from the tree. He made a few furnaces to make things faster when they had multiple things to smelt or cook. He also made a few chests that he and I would be storing things in.

He returned to the tree and was amazed at how I had kept the tree alive with the rooms I had built inside of it. I had used raw wood as the base and sides of the rooms anyways so that the tree could mold to it and still live. I and my brothers had done this before many times. I leaned against the wall to rest when Hel stepped in amazed at the work.

"Wow. You've really got your dad's skill."

"Thanks." I sat back closing my eyes. I found myself leaning against a stone wall in a dimly lit room with about thirty people sitting around a long table. A man with a a long cloak propping his chin up on his laced fingers gazed at the people calmly. They all contained skulls of skeletons over their faces. Another man with a cape sat at the other end of the table leaning back in his chair.

"What do you propose we do? They've been massing underground. It's more than the machines can take."

"The design will help the problem at hand. It'll take up the slack since the other is down. Plus, it'll help with the recent attacks out in the next village."

I sat there in the dimmest part of the room silent as I watched the two head skeletal leaders talk something over.

"What of _him_ though? What will we do about the issue?"

The skeletal lord leaning back in his chair was silent for a moment. The other members looked at one another impatiently. I could tell that whomever they were talking about their numbers weren't going to be enough.

"We're not even close to being able to handle the issue right now. We have no choice but to hang back and stay as we are."

"Rien!" barked the skeletal lord.

"I'm sorry, Lones. We can't do a thing yet. The heirs are still out training. So far thirty of them have perished. Intel has been checking up on them. Have you not gotten the reports?"

The skeletal lord named lones let his hands cross on the table in front of him. "Yes, yes. It means nothing though! They weren't meant to go on if they can't fight! You know that!"

The skeletal lord's skulls hollow eyes lit up with brief anger before dying down once more. "Lones, your son came close to death."

Lones went silent. "He was protected at the last minute."

"Yes, be thankful for that too." Rien tapped the table with a bony finger.

"What of the Devil's Prophecy? When will it become true?" Lones asked leaning forward.

Rien's skull head moved side to side. "I do not know. There have been no visions lately."

The members shifted in their seats. "What about her prophecy that she said would take place?"

Lones and Rien remained quiet. I could feel uneasiness in the room. Something about this subject had them slightly concerned and disturbed. "We don't know. That's the problem. It's been shrouded with uncertainty. We've tried everything to see it clearly but there's no use. The devil of prophecy is alive and roaming but we cannot see whom or what it is."

The members murmured to each other. The two leaders sighed together.

"This is such a bothersome subject."

Lone perked up at a thought and leaned forward to Rien. "How are your sons doing?"

Rien leaned forward. "They contain no skeletal lord DNA what-so-ever. I've tested them. They are their mother's children."

Lone's skull grinned. "Your daughter though. She's the one that has it."

I could see that father's skull was gritting its teeth. "I'm not sure. Just recently my spy's lost sight of her. Her house was destroyed and she disappeared in thin air. I can't even track her."

Lone's black hollow eyes narrowed. "What? How can this be?"

"I went to my mansion there on the islands just yesterday. It was smoldering like a fire had come through. I saw her house also. Apparently a fire ogre had come there."

"Fire ogre's are the ones that work for _him._ You know this." Lone said clenching a fist. "All the ogre's do!"

"I'm aware of that, Lones!" Rien snapped. "My daughter is smart and very quick to find a place to hide. Surely she's in a safe place right now."

"What of the wolf?"

Lones and Rien stared at one another. "He's vanished along with her."

Lones sat back in his chair and grinned. "Rien, how can you lose your daughter _and_ the wolf? He was the only informant left to keep track of her!"

Rien's bone fingers made a screeching sound as he drew them across the table making everyone grimace. "Lones, don't you dare lecture me on this! She is my daughter and I'm aware of my mistake! I'm working to find her as we speak!"

I stood where I was and stepped towards the table unable to believe what they were saying.

"You could've found her by now. It's as if you're stalling. If she doesn't have the DNA then why do you still have that child and your sons alive?"

Rien remained silent. "My wife."

"She was a tool. Don't tell me you actually love her." Lones crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The code-"

"Fuck the code!" Rien leapt up angrily, his eyes bright red and burning. "What if I care about the damn Minecraftian? She's done more than I could ever hope for even if she's a tool!"

Lones and the members stared at him. Rien sat back down calming himself. "If I recall, you did the same with yours."

A diamond sword buried itself into the headrest of Rien's chair where his head would've been. Rien had dodged the attack and landed in a crouch. He stood slowly and smiled. "Apparently I touched a nerve. How horrible."

"Rien!"

"Relax!" he barked. "They aren't coming to kill us! This town will be safe from harm. I swear to it."

The two skeletal lords glared at one another. I was taken aback by all of this. '_Dad… How could you say this about mom?'_

"The Devil's Prophecy will come. I swear that on my last remaining child." Rien spoke softly. "Just wait for a little longer. It _will_ come."

I found myself laying on the floor with Hel over me looking worried. "Sell?"

I sat up having him move back. I turned to him and couldn't find the words to speak with. Slowly standing I suddenly heard a storm raging outside. Heading over to a window I saw that a severe thunderstorm was raging war on the outside world. "The Devil's Prophecy. What can you tell me about that?"

Lightening cracked illuminating the dim room. Hel stared at me. His blue eyes slightly darkened. "You've seen something. Heard something. What?"


	10. Chapter 10  The Devil's Prophecy

Ch.10 The Devil's Prophecy

I stared out the window at the storm that pounded on the tree and the ground with rage. Hel stared at my back waiting for my reply. I didn't know how to say it all to him. "There's some things that I think I overheard and wasn't meant to know. It's all so confusing that I can't really piece much of anything together."

Hel remained silent as he listened to me. I turned to him, my eyes boring into his. "I saw father in a meeting. He was with his group and Lones. They were talking about monster spawns that have been massing and attacking villages. Lones was worried that their town would be attacked by someone that they wouldn't speak of. The ogres are working for this man."

I took a breath fighting the urge to cry. "You've been keeping in contact with dad about my progress. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't allowed too," Hel replied with a frown. "What else did you see?"

"Lones was angry with dad for falling in love with mom who was just a tool to create the offspring for the skeletal lords. Dad and Lones got a tad angry with one another for touching the subject of their love lives. I'm some sort of prophecy? Why didn't you explain that to me back at the mansion?"

I clenched my fists shaking. "What else is there that you haven't told me about? What?"

Hel groaned sitting on the floor scratching his head. "Damn it."

"Hel!" I barked at him.

"I'm not obliged to say!" he barked back.

I scoffed at him. "Not obliged."

He watched me leave the room angrily. "Sell. Don't be pissed at me. I'm just doing as your dad ordered me to do."

I whirled around on him. "Ordered? Behind my back? I'm the heir and I'm meant to live on the littlest information you give me? Tell me, if you're obliged, how am I to go through my training and live to adulthood and transform with this little information?"

Hel groaned gripping his hair angrily. "Your dad is the one that's doing this! He's calling the shots! You're the one that has to follow them!"

"Hel, I swear to Notch, I'm about to shred you!" I yelled at him jabbing my finger in his face. "What the hell am I? Why am I so damned special?"

Hel got to his feet towering over me. "You're the Devil's Prophecy. It's what Ananon saw in a vision before she died."

I stared at him as my anger began to fade. "Lady Ananon saw me?"

Hel's shoulders drooped. "All that was said was that a child would be born under the wolf's protection. They would roam and fight all over Notch's creation."

"That explains why everyone has a werewolf," I said turning around. "That doesn't say she saw me though."

"Your father thinks it's you though."

"He can think what he wants. He's always wanted everything."

That explains why he swore on my life. It explained everything that my father and Lones spoke about. I sighed curling up next to the ovens. Hel sat in the other room staring at me through the doorway.

"I'm sorry."

I ignored him hugging my knees. "Explain more. Explain bits and pieces."

Hel pulled his lips taught in a tight line. "No. There's nothing else to say. When the rain lets up I'll be training you."

"Is Lones dad's friend?"

Hel looked at me through the doorway. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "If he was his friend why would he try to hit dad with his sword?"

I recalled when Lones threw his sword at dad. It came very close to hitting dad.

"They have always been opposites. Ananon was the one that had to keep separating them. With her gone now the two duke it out every other fight they get into." Hel scratched under his chin and stopped.

"What's up?" I asked noticing his behavior.

"Company below."

I raised a brow and walked over the floor to the trunk. Looking down I saw a little girl taking cover from the rain. "Hello there."

She looked up at me with her emerald eyes. She stared up at me surprised that someone had inhabited a tree. "H-Hello."

I smiled and motioned for her to climb up the ladder. "Come on up. You can dry off up here."

She tugged on her animal skin hat tighter down on her head and climbed up the ladder. I noticed that her hair sparkled and resembled fish scales almost.

"What's your name?"

"Serdra."

"Serdra." I repeated and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sell."

Serdra took my hand and shook it. "You too. Who's that?"

I looked over to see Hel leaning against the doorframe looking at us. "That's my friend, Hel."

The little girls face began to blush. I could tell she had a crush on Hel. I patted her head and smiled. "You're so cute."

She looked at me oddly. "I'm an adult."

I fell out in shock. "Adult?"

Hel and I sat on the other side of Serdra. "I'm twenty-five. I don't have any kids because I can't have any. I'm a guard in the village not too far from here."

"The head guard?" Hel asked leaning on the wall.

She nodded. I looked to Hel and back to her. "What's the village called?"

"Ashland Valley."

"That explains the crest." Serdra and I stared at Hel. "What? I can't be observant?"

"That's fine. I don't mind. You have good eyes." Serdra smiled and brought out a can of some sort of drink from her bag. "Would you two like some? I've got a few more."

"What is it?" I asked looking at the can.

"It's Blorp Cola. Really delicious."

Hel took a can as I did and opened it the same time. We looked at one another before tipping the can back slightly. It was indeed good. I placed the can down and felt odd. I had never had such a drink before. Hel hadn't either it seemed because he smacked his mouth repeatedly.

"You two have never had this stuff?"

We shook our heads. She began giggling. "Where do you two live? Blorps have been populating the land for a good bit now. You've never seen a Blorp before then?"

We shook our heads again. She let her mouth drop. "Good god. You two aren't from around these regions then! You two must be those kids that come from villages and cities to have adventures or something."

I nodded. "Apparently you've met them before?"

"Met them? They live in our village!"

You face werewolves?" Hel asked sitting up.

"We kill them."

I bit the lip of the can to hide a gasp. Hel's face didn't change. "I'm surprised you aren't dead yet. They are quite the ferocious type."

"We have a pack that roams around the woods. Even a boy joined them. I haven't seen the boy though," she said tipping her can side to side as its contents swished around. "He had brown hair and grey hair."

I gasped letting my teeth let go of the can. It clattered on the wood, bouncing about before rolling to a stop. Serdra looked at me leaning back on her arms. "You've seen him?"

"Yea. He had a werewolf to hunt for him."

Hel rose to his feet and stared out the window. "Does he attack people?"

"He watches us in the village from a far hillside. We don't really bother with him." Serdra crushed the can and placed it in her bag. "You two are new. Where did you two come from?"

"A village." Sell replied quickly. "We've been wandering forever, we've sort of forgot our way."

Serdra frowned. "That sucks. Well, you two are allowed to live with us in the village if you want? We have plenty of room."

"Thank you very much," Hel said smiling. "I kind of like this tree though."

Serdra looked around at the six by six room. "It's quite homey. You picked a nice tree to live in."

"I didn't pick it. Sell did."

I smiled. "It was meant to be a quick shelter but it took me by surprise by its beauty."

Serdra smiled with me. "I understand that feeling all too well."

I saw her look at Hel and blush more. Hel didn't seem to notice as he looked out the window. Serdra got to her feet and placed her hat back on. "I must get going. I have duties to get done with at the village."

I stood and watched her head down the ladder. "It was nice to meet you. I hope we get to talk again."

"Same." She sprinted into the rain and never turned back.

Hel watched her go from the window and sighed. _A village of werewolf hunters. Just dandy._

"Hel?" I approached him seeing his face. "Is this bad?"

"It can go either way," he replied dryly. "What's important is to get some training into you before we meet anyone else that we don't need."

"The rain isn't slacking off." I went to the other window watching the trees sway in the slight wind that the rain carried.

"It will in a little."

I watched him slide to the floor and curl up. I looked out the window watching the rain falling in sheets heavily. Howls cried out in the distance over the rain. I prayed the wolves wouldn't come here and get us. I saw Hel move slightly listening to the howling.

He finally went completely still which seemed to be a good sign to me. If Hel wasn't worried about the boy and his wolves then neither should I. Or should I?

"Hel? The wolves…"

"Gluttonous bastards." He grumbled. "Nothing to worry about. They aren't hunting us."

I sighed and slid to the floor next to him. "What if they do?"

"They don't stand a chance in hell if they faced me." He opened one eye and looked over to me. "It doesn't matter what type of being is around you. You must never drop your guard. Rule one."

"Rule two?" I hugged my knees wanting to know more.

"Rule two is don't invite strangers into the house without checking them out first."

I was smacked in the forehead by him. I fell back holding my head. "Ow!"

"Don't do it again!" He pointed a finger at me. "Your father had more sense than that."

I puffed up at him. "Shut up! I don't know how to check people out! You know how apparently!"

He opened his other eye and leaned towards me. "Smell them."

"Huh?" He had completely thrown me off by that reply. "Smell them?"

"Try it once the rain stops. I have the feeling we'll be meeting the werewolf boy." Hel said angling his head towards the window.

My memory went back to the time when we were in the mansion just finishing up eating when his body went stiff. He had known something was going to happen then. His hearing was better than mine. Sense told me to follow his advice whenever he gave it. As I leaned against the wall I thought back to earlier in the day when I first saw the werewolf that protected the boy.

I turned to Hel watching him rest. "How do I tell you apart from the other werewolves? You all almost blend with one another."

His left hand yanked his shirt down to reveal several scars that he had obtained from fighting.

"If a werewolf is injured more than likely the injury will turn into a scar and the fur won't grow on a scar when we transform. The injury, if severe enough, damages the cells and root system making it unable to produce fur."

"I see." I scratched my head as I thought about things. "How come the ogre is working with werewolves? Isn't that taboo?"

Hel's eyes snapped open and gave me a look that I couldn't read. It was a mixture of many different questions or something like that. "What?"

"You don't have a clue about skeletal lords and the like but when it comes to monsters and their cooperation patterns you ask interesting questions." We stared at one another for a bit after this until he broke the silence once more. "The rain is finishing up. Get your gear and let's get outside. All you need is your sword."

I went to my bag that I had placed in the corner of the room and brought out my sword. When I turned around Hel was out of the room and at the base of the tree waiting for me. I slid down the ladder and followed him through the woods not knowing where we were going. Apparently he knew because his body was angled like it had a destination. He spun around on me so suddenly I almost tripped.

"Are you doing as I told you to do?"

I sniffled my nose smelling only rain, trees, and grass. "What am I looking for exactly? All I smell is the woods and rain."

He turned around and kept walking without saying a thing back to me. We continued on our way somewhere getting deeper and deeper in the woods. Sense told me that I was being lured for some other reason. My feet stopped moving. Hel stopped and turned around to me.

"Why did you stop?"

"Where are you taking me?"

Hel didn't reply right away. I stared at him as my right hand gripped the handle of the sword. I slowly pulled it out of my bag and held it out in front of me. Hel's blue eyes stared at his reflection in the blade. He smiled and leapt away.

"Hmm, very good."

I knew it. He had lured me out here to intentionally see the boy and the werewolves! I looked around for anyone but only saw that we were alone. I looked at him raising a brow. "What the hell are we doing?"

"What does it look like?" He straightened up putting his hands on his hips. "Training. You got your sword out. Why?"

I looked at him and then at my sword. "Because of my instinct. I got a feeling that you were luring me somewhere."

Suddenly I was face to face with Hel who had a grin on his face. _Damn he's fast!_ Hel cupped my face with a hand. "What else?"

Was there supposed to be something else? I tried thinking back. "I checked around us for the werewolves and the boy. We seem to be alone. I think."

"Assumptions do not work when trying to survive!"

His bark made me jump slightly. Of course he caught that. He let go of my face and leapt away back to where he had been seconds ago. I bent over my sword as if it weighed a lot. It actually weighed as much as my bag did when it was loaded down with supplies.

"Your stance is all wrong. If you run at me like that you'll end up tripping and stabbing yourself through. Straighten up." Hel's eyes studied me hard. I slowly stood and let my sword hit the ground.

I felt something behind me that had intentions that I disliked very much. It happened so fast that I didn't comprehend my movements. I just struck out of defense. I felt weight on my sword as if I struck something and the smell of blood was very noticeable. Opening my eyes I saw what I had hit.

A werewolf had skewered its self on my sword. Right through its heart. Hel was still standing where he was slightly taken aback by what had happened. None of us had been expecting a sudden attack.

"Sell." He snapped back to reality and came to my side. "Are you ok?"

He grabbed the limp werewolf and flung it off my blade and into the forest. I stared at my bloodied sword and looked at him. He grimaced as he watched me throw up at his feet. Hel put a hand across his eyes and groaned. "Much work is to be done. As for the sudden attack I couldn't have asked to see better results."

I looked up at him from staring at the now discolored grass. "What results?"

He smiled taking his hand away. "You have shown me something that your father would be proud of. Lones too."

I narrowed my eyes trying to understand what he meant or was trying to say.

"You _will_ have the makings of a Lady when we're done. You _will _surpass your father when the time comes." Hel bent over to smile at me. "Ananon said so."

I balled up my fist and felt it connect with his jawline. "I won't follow in dad's footsteps! How many times have I told you that?"

If any person from the village that Serdra had come from they would've been sure I was out of our minds. I, chasing around Hel with a stone sword, was yelling at him with incoherent and incomplete sentences about things that made no sense. Hel, running from me and making fun of me, was actually smiling.

"You can't catch me!"

"Like hell I can't! Stay still you bounding bastard!"

"Look at your legs! They move so slow! Turtle!"

"Hel!"

The Devil's Prophecy was something that Lady Ananon had foreseen before her death while facing _Him._ A being that was shrouded in mystery and darkness to the other Lords and heirs. No one knew who he was and had never seen his face except for Lady Ananon herself. Wouldn't you know she would die with the secret and the identity that he carried? Sucks for us, the ones that are still alive and questioning her every motive for facing him alone.

Every Lord knew to never go to a fight alone. Have your army behind you to take on his army. Autopsy reported that Lady Ananon hadn't died from a whole army attacking her. It had only been one person. That was none other than the one that was causing Lord Lones and Lord Rien trouble.

The way a Skeletal Lord worked was to keep the peace among the living so that they wouldn't ask questions about the afterlife. Of course there had been a book written by _Him_ before a Minecraftian found it somehow. This Minecraftian learned of the Skeletal race and became one reading the part where the book told how too. This did not make _Him_ happy. The Minecraftian came to _Him_ wanting to be taught the ways of this race.

The Minecraftian struck a deal with _Him_ and made it where the Lord couldn't disregard such an offer. The Lord taught the Minecraftian the way of the race and slowly began to take control over Minecraft. Of course a man called Herobrine, the right hand of Notch, comes to stop the evil. Before the skeletal Lord could be vanquished from the lands of Minecraft he got away and hid the book. Without telling the Lord of what he had done behind his back he entrusted the book to his followers that he had made secretly. The six great leaders of the group vowed to their Lord that the book would stay safe and would not stray to other hands.

Nor would it return to the Lord himself that dwelled in the darkness below. After the death of the leader his teachings went on through the years to every new follower that would take the place of the previous leaders. Each leader would have at least three students to test. From out of the lineage came Rien, Ananon, and Lones who upheld the law among the group when the law system that the group ran by was deceived. The Lord from the darkness below had sent spies to destroy them.

Lones, Ananon, and Rien fought the evil single handedly and won. Their followers and students fought without stopping. It was after that that the Lord of the darkness had decided to rage war upon the group. They were the ones destroying his hordes and rescuing the living Minecraftians. The Lord of the darkness was furious at them, at his first follower that had gone behind his back and created them for the sole purpose of protecting the innocents!

Ananon had also done what the Lord of the darkness had done and gone to the other side, spying on him. Before her mission could be successful she was killed in a battle that had been recorded by the Lord of the darkness himself. This had been sent to the three leaders by messengers in the late of night. Ananon's body had been staked onto an ornately wood carving of Nether's protectors, the fire ogre brothers, Osiroz and Zelan. It was a sign of hatred towards them.

Before her burial Lones and Rien learned from autopsy that Ananon had burned a foreseen vision on her body. _"A child born under the wolf's paw, its protection knowing no bounds. Guided by pure hearts the darkness will fade and the light will shine eternally."_Ananon was buried on a high mountain top that over looked all of Minecraft and its Minecraftians. Today, the laws of the Skeletal race have changed slightly. Their past mistakes learned, they continue to pave the way for the new race that they have created.

All in the name of justice and peace. They wait the day that the one that had been foreseen by Lady Ananon would step into the light and take down the Lord of the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11  Wolfen Pact

Ch.11 Wolfen Pact

A Minecraftian teen walks the woods in a sour mood. The news he had received just a few hours ago was saddening. A werewolf had been stabbed in the heart by a sword; killed instantly. He punched a tree out of anger and leaned on its trunk. _It was those villagers. The ones that hunt werewolves!_ He knew it had been someone that carried a sword and the only ones he could think of were the villagers to have that sort of aim.

If it had been anyone else there would have been blood from them and not just the werewolf. He decided that it was time to have the village burned. He wouldn't allow them to get away with this. He sniffed the air and got the scent of another werewolf and…

The teen ran as a blur through the trees towards the scent. Could it have been her? His scouts did say a werewolf had been there also. But he knew she didn't have a sword. He recalled when they had met. She had nothing on her. "She's a noob. Yet she has a werewolf." His feet slowed to a stop.

He stared at the grassy ground thinking. It wasn't her. The stab mark had been made by a professional. They knew what they were doing. It had been the village!

A dark brown werewolf stepped next to him. _"Well?"_

"Gather them up. It's the village's downfall tonight."

The dark brown wolf turned and sprinted off through the woods doing as he was told. The teen strode off through the woods to a place the woods did not touch. It was a hillside that over looked the village. He stood atop the hill watching as the sun began to sink. The villagers milling about finishing up their days work and preparing for the next day.

There wouldn't be a next day for them. The teen's hand clenched into a fist and a grin spread across his face.

I panted as I blocked another barrage of attacks from Hel. He had been trained by my dad in sword fighting and the like. He was damn good at it too. His skills had not dwindled even for a bit with my dad being gone from the mansion. I stumbled backwards hitting a tree and leaned against it.

"Can we take a break? We've been at this for hours now."

Hel stabbed his sword into the ground with a single movement. "Sure. You're losing your edge. You want me to go back and get some water?"

"No. I'm too tired to defend myself if I'm approached by evil." I panted and slid down the trunk of the tree into the tall grass. I sniffed my nose and scented something. "Hel."

He sniffed the air too and turned in the direction it was coming from. "It's the boy. Werewolves are walking too."

"Why are they out? It's turning dusk."

Hel turned to me raising a brow. "Why wouldn't they be? It's going to be night time. They hunt at night."

"Including you?"

He shook his head. "I hunt in the day time so I don't have to go out at night and face them."

"You did that the entire time at the mansion, didn't you."

He nodded and sat in front of me. "You need to be on your guard. We could be attacked by anything out here. Werewolves, Creepers, Skeletons, and Zombies."

"Wraiths."

He nodded at me. "Those too. Plus the Ogres and wild animals."

I sighed feeling bummed and slightly stressed. So many things to look out for. He ruffled my hair with a heavy hand.

"I know. It's stressful to think of it all. I don't think about it. I just deal with it as it comes."

As night fell upon us we trained a little more before calling it a night. Walking through the woods towards home we talked over my progress.

"You aren't completely doing your swing all the way through."

"I know that! I'm still trying to get the hand of tucking my elbow and then going out."

He chuckled patting my head. "I'll have to drill you on that and a few other things.

As we walked I saw light dancing on the trunks of the trees fading and growing. Was I seeing things? I smelled the air and smelled something burning. I turned towards the direction and saw fire leaping high.

"Hel! Fire!"

Hel spun around with a gaping mouth. "Lets go!"

We raced through the woods towards the village below. Screams of the villagers could be heard faintly. We slid to a stop on a Cliffside looking down below at a lake. I turned to Hel and he looked back at me. He nodded his head. We leapt off the side together and plummeted down into the cold water below.

"Kill them all!" the teen barked. "They don't deserve to live for killing our brother!"

The werewolves all sprinted about attacking the villagers and killing the children that tried to run away. The men of the village and the guards took up arms trying to defend them. There were too many werewolves to deal with. Serdra ran around slashing what she could reach, clearing a path for some of the villagers. She gathered some of her guards together giving them instructions.

"Take them to the underground tunnels. Bar the way as soon as you get them in!"

The guard nodded and took off with them. Serdra and the guards made a diversion while they escaped. The teen stood atop of the lookout tower and saw the plan. He sneered and made his way down. "I don't think so."

Serdra barked orders while fighting the werewolves. The guards did what they could to up hold her orders. The werewolves began to push them back, Serdra realized that it was going to be a loss for the villagers. Before she knew it she and the others had been surrounded by the werewolves. Snapping jaws and snarling was all around them.

"Serdra!" cried the guards. "What do we do?"

She stared into the wild eyes of the werewolves with nothing coming to mind. "We pray."

As she closed her eyes and recited a prayer the werewolves rushed in to finish them off.

_"It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the lord will judge the ends of the earth."_

A black werewolf sprang up behind the pack of werewolves howling out its battle cry. He landed in front of Serdra and charged into the mass of oncoming werewolves with no fear. I landed in front of Serdra protectively and danced about slashing, hacking, and stabbing those that came near. Serdra stood there with her back against a tree that she had been pinned against in surprise.

"Serdra! They need you!"

She grabbed her hilt and sprang to her guards defenses. One by one they battled rescuing each guard and fighting back to back. Hel bounded around as a blur taking down werewolves that came into his path. I suddenly realized I had placed myself in a throng of raging werewolves that were coming down upon me.

"Hel!"

The werewolves were flung away from me and the huge black werewolf stood over me at my call. He looked down at me and growled. I sprang onto his back grabbing his neck fur tightly with one hand. "Let's go!"

Hel leapt across the fighting guards and charged through the burning village to see where the other half of the werewolf pack had gone. In the distance I saw something silhouetted in the moonlight disappear behind something.

"Hel, in the distance."

He growled. _"I'm aware."_

We slowed to the entrance of the tunnel that had been mined out of the side of a mountain. I took a torch from my bag and went into the mouth of the tunnel. I turned back to Hel to see him in his human form following behind me. I sniffed the air and reassured myself we were on the right path before bolting down the tunnel. Whatever the werewolves were up to the teen would be with them as well.

The teen strode through the darkness without the need of a torch. His eyes a glow with his heir abilities. He could smell the fear that the Minecraftian villagers had as his werewolves kept them in place. The villagers crowded and clumped together in a circle with the children in the middle of them.

"Well, well, well. We have the killers themselves trapped like rats in their own escape tunnel."

The villagers glared at him as he neared. "What do you want?"

"You know how it feels to lose a friend to one of your guards?"

The villagers wondered what he was talking about. "We've hunted the werewolves in the past but we never touched them again after you came along and took up for them. We don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar!" the teen barked jabbing his face into the mans. "One of the guards killed one of my friends! I told you all that night if any one of you touched them again I'd kill you all!"

"We never killed your friend!"

The teen stared at the man and looked at the villagers. Crying, weak, pathetic Minecraftians. "You still deny it. You're still denying it to my face after I picked up the scent of one of you that was there on his body! I saw the stab wound in his heart! You still say that none of you did it?"

"No!" the villagers cried out pleadingly. "We didn't do it!"

The teen lifted his arm to come level with his chin. His finger came up to point at the villagers. "Kill them!"

The werewolves snarled and snapped their jaws considering which to take down first. A child stared at the werewolf with tearful eyes shaking his head no. The werewolves leapt without further hesitation.

"Please! No! Someone help us!"

A jet black werewolf leapt into the throng of the villagers snapping at all the other werewolves making them step back in confusion. One of them was opposing their actions?

"Is this truly what an heir of a Skeletal Lord is supposed to do?"

The teen whirled around to see me walk into view. I shouldered my sword cocking my head to the side. "Were you not taught kindness?"

"Where's the kindness when they kill one of my friends?" the teen looked at the villagers with hate. "They killed him without mercy!"

"They didn't kill the werewolf." I said staring at the teen. He seemed to stop for a moment before turning to me.

"How do you know this?"

"I know what happened to the werewolf. I and Hel were there. It was I who stabbed the werewolf in the heart. It was I who killed him." My eyes looked past the teen to the villagers who seemed surprised that one of them hadn't done it for real. "Do not punish them for something they didn't do. Turn your hate towards me. He attacked me first though."

The teen clenched his fists tightly, slightly shaking. "You? You couldn't kill a bug if it was flying at you!"

Hel bared his teeth at the back of the teen and snapped his jaws angrily. _"How dare you insult her that way!"_

"It's fine, Hel. Let him say his fill." I took the sword away from my shoulder and let it fall to the ground loosely. "He isn't the one that the prophecy speaks about."

He glared at me. "What do you know of the prophecy?"

"I'm going to challenge you to a fight. If I win, you will leave the villagers alone and leave this place. If you win you get to kill me and the villagers." I tilted my head down and grinned. "You can also go join the Lord of the darkness."

The teen grabbed me by the front of my shirt in a flash. "What did I tell you about him?"

"Heh." I smiled at him. "Then it's settled. A fight at the edge of the village. No werewolves can interfere or help. That goes for mine too."

Hel gave me a skeptical look. I nodded to him slightly before looking at the teen. He set me down and strode out. "Leave them. Head back to the woods."

The werewolves stalked past us, their fur slightly ruffled with agitation and anger that no blood had been shed. I looked at the villagers who had all gone weak in the knees and collapsed onto the stone floor. "You all ok?"

"Thank you!" gasped an elderly woman. "You've rescued us!"

He stepped past the adults and crouched at my side. _"Don't get too excited. She still has to win the sword match."_

"I'll manage," I replied shouldering my sword. "You've been training me this afternoon."

_"Yes, I have, but his skills might be more than yours!"_ Hel reared up staring me in the eye concerned. _"You've hardly rested between sparring. How are you feeling?"_

"Not bad." I moved past him. I was slightly sore but ok for the most part. "What better way to test my skills than to have an actual match?"

"He's going to kill her, grandma," muttered one of the village children who stood next to his grandmother grasping her apron.

The child's grandmother shushed him with a stern look. "Don't be saying that in ear shot!"

"I still heard you two." I turned to them as they all flinched at the mistake. "It's ok. Come on. We don't got much time."

Hel stalked behind me keeping the villagers behind him. As we exited the tunnel I stared at the ring that had been burned onto the ground. I turned to Hel and rubbed his head.

"Thanks."

Hel's brow furrowed at the gesture. _"Don't thank me yet. I haven't fulfilled my job to the fullest. My job ends when I walk you back home fully prepared."_

I smiled and nodded turning away. I strode into the circle, I felt something odd as I passed over the ring. _What was that?_

"What's your name?" the teen asked pulling out his iron sword from his bag.

"Sell. Daughter of Skeletal Lord Rien." I let my blade rest on the ground. "You?"

"My blood line doesn't matter. As for you," he held up his sword to point at me. "You've got a blood lineage that you can't dirty. Too bad for you though. You'll die here tonight."

"Why do you say that?"

The teen grinned. "Because of the Pact that I signed. It protects me from death."

Above us the lookout tower bells clanged. Birds in the trees around the village cried out taking flight.

_Immortality? How can this be?_


	12. Chapter 12  Wolfen Part Part 2

Ch.12 Wolfen Pact (Part 2)

He sneered at me as he watched me try to understand how he could have immortality. "Is that too hard for you to comprehend? That you'll die here in this ring to my superior ability?"

"There's no such thing as immortality." I was sure of that. There was no such thing in Minecraft!

The teen was suddenly in front of me with his hand gripping the collar of my shirt. "Sadly you're wrong. There is such a thing as it. I signed the papers in blood. My own blood. Within twenty-four hours I was given immortality." He moved his head past my face and whispered in my ear. "You can't beat me. No one has yet to beat me."

I felt the wind get knocked out of me. My gut spasmed and clenched in pain. He had kneed me with such strength I wasn't sure if I'd recover my air in time before I black out. I felt myself get thrown across the ring and hit a barrier. It reacted sending electricity through me.

If I had the breath to cry out I would've. I fell to the ground with smoke trailing from my body. I gasped for breath coughing as my gut unclenched and was able to understand what had hit it so suddenly. My arms pushed me up slightly shaking. I looked up to see my opponents foot kick me in the chest and send me back into the barrier to be electrocuted once more. This time I did cry out.

"How does that feel, Sell, daughter of Lord Rien?" the teen laughed at my pain that I was going through. "Now, for you to feel the pain that my friend felt. The blade that stabbed him in the heart. Your blade!"

Before I had time to gather myself the teen leapt and took the sword from my grasp. With tiny electricity currents still running over me I looked up just enough to see the teen grinning at his reflection in the sword. He had been right; I was going to die here. The teen speared it suddenly. I felt pain in my left chest.

Blood spilled from the corners of my mouth onto the ground. My heart began to beat out of rhythm. My left hand reached up to feel the sword running with blood that was pierced through my chest. The teen let go of the blade and let me fall over onto my side as I panted.

"Sell!" Hel cried out from outside the ring. He bashed away at the barrier, his eyes turning dark red. "Sell! Sell!"

The villagers all gasped and cried out to me. "No! Get up! You can't let him kill us!"

The teen stared down at me with hatred. "How could you kill him? He did nothing to you!"

"He attacked me," I whispered. "That was good enough motive for me to attack back. It was sheer luck I hit his heart the way I did."

I felt more pain, this time in my right chest. I realized I was pinned to the ground by his sword that was through my other chest. I coughed blood up as it dripped from my mouth pooling up below me and slowly running across the ground. He knelt in front of me, eyes glowing. His hand lifted up my face to his. "How does it feel? How does it feel to have your heart stabbed clean through?"

I gurgled at him and coughed blood on his chest. Hel roared pounding at the barrier to get to me.

"Sell! Sell! Bastard, let her go!"

I don't know if I was dead or if I had passed out and was on the verge of death but I appeared at the farm. My brothers working out in the field cutting the grass that had grown too tall. I watched them work for a moment before taking a step and squatting on the fence. They both looked up to see me there. "Sell!"

I smiled at them as they ran over to me. They began to talk about dad and how mom was getting depressed with him being gone so much. Dad had told her that he had been asked to help build something for the newspaper company. Another mob grinder that was bigger and better. I leaned out and hugged them tightly around their necks.

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me anymore. I know what's going on. It'll be ok. He's doing it out of good."

They looked at one another behind my head wondering why I was crying. "Sell?"

I let them go and looked over at the gate that opened up. Dad stood there with his arms crossed looking at them. "What about Sell?"

I wasn't sure how much life I had left but I thought it was time that I allowed dad to see me. I stepped off the fence line and became a little more clearer to see for my dad. His arms drooped to his sides as he stared down at me. "Sell…"

"I'm aware of what's going on."

He stared at me still. His face changed to something I couldn't read. I hugged him tightly before anything more was said. "Thank you."

He pulled me away from him and looked at me solemnly. "Whatever is happening where you are, remember this. You are the one that the weak look up too. Villagers and those that live outside with no name to uphold. Day and night the evil of Minecraft prowl about taking the lives of the innocent. Destructive forces are working among us once again. Up hold our duty and fight back with the courage that is within you."

My brothers stared at us not knowing what we were talking about.

"Believe in yourself. The power comes from the heart. Not by what you're told."

My body faded from their sight. My eyes opened to see a fuzzy mass of people mouthing something and pounded on something that wouldn't let them progress. A figure strode over to them with his sword enjoying their reactions as he held two swords; a stone sword and his iron sword. My body didn't have the excruciating pain it had when it had the swords in it.

My eyes stared out at the crowd, its blurriness looking like a wave now as it moved up and down from the jostling people. My arms pushed myself up slowly and it all got quiet. I saw a pool of blood all around where I had been laying. I stared back at my crimson reflection and saw that I was covered in blood. It didn't matter to me anymore.

My legs finally pushed me up right. The people's mouth turned into gasps. The teen turned around and seemed shocked that I was still alive.

"How are you still alive?"

I strode towards him with blood dripping from me, leaving a trail behind. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it kind of does matter." He replied as he held up his two swords. "What sorcery is this?"

"It's no sorcery." I came face to face with him and took hold of his hand that held my sword. "I believe in myself. I was born to protect those that cry out for help. Your actions just helped to prove that."

He pushed me back, my fingers slipped through his grasp allowing me to take my sword from him and slide away with the help of my blood that was on my shoes. "I believe in myself. I believe that I have the strength to take you down!"

The teen scoffed at me. "Seriously? The Skeletal Lord abilities are just a hoax! There's no such thing as it! I've been here for a few years and I've still got nothing out of it!"

"You must believe that you have the power," I replied and saw flames leap around me from head to toe. I saw my clothes burning away into something entirely different. I realized they were turning into a robe that hid my face. Previously I feared I would've been burned to bits but this fire was my friend.

The teen gawked at me as I stepped towards him. Hel gawked at me as well watching me transform. _Sell!_

I reached out and took hold of the teen's sword. The fire jumped from around me and disappeared in a crackling sound. The teen yelped and attacked me. I backed off and held up my own sword. We stared at one another, my eyes glowing a deep red with no noticeable pupil beneath the hood.

We charged one another yelling out. Each of us strengthened by our own morals and beliefs. The two swords clashed making sparks fly. It lit up the anger on the teens face as the villagers and Hel watched. We danced about clashing and breaking away here and there. He and I were on the same ground now, same exhaustion, same weakness and same pain. He launched himself across the arena with a bound that was no doubt backed by the werewolf pact. I blocked his downward slash gritting my teeth as we glared at one another over our blades.

"Just fucking die already!"

"I will not fall to the evil that harms innocents! That is the Skeletal way!"

My eyes narrowed as I slid beneath the teen's attack and leapt up from behind him to kick him in the teen yelped letting go of the blade and flying across the arena into the edge of the barrier. I grabbed the hilt of the sword and buried its blade in the dirt. I stood in front of the teen not caring that I was weak and near death, if I was about to pass out from blood loss, if my heart was going to stop on me there and then. I held up my sword to his neck. Sweat dripped down his face. I could see that his soul had given up. He had given up on life completely without the werewolf's power.

"Stop this bullshit. You are an heir to the Skeletal race. Why do you doubt your abilities? I can see it in you, it's strong! You have the ability to summon it. You don't need the help of the werewolves. They've lied to you."

"Sell! He isn't immortal!" Hel cried out making me look up at him. Hel was nose to nose with the barrier. "The wolf that he had gotten the Pact with was the one that died! He has less than twenty-four hours left with his power that he obtained from the wolf!"

The teen whirled around glaring at Hel. "You mangy beast! How dare you help her?"

I laughed a laugh I had never heard myself do before. The teen looked at me holding up my sword with fear.

"I will hold onto you. I will not let you stray from the path you were chosen to walk. We are the bringers of justice to the weak."

My eyes burned into his. I strode over to the barrier and stabbed the scorched earth. Hissing and popping with sparks of electricity shot around inside. Hel leapt away before there was an explosion and smoke mixed with dust filled the air. The dust and dirt gradually faded. The teen looked up at me with uncertainty. "You believe in me?"

I nodded at him. "Who wouldn't? If anyone doubted you then they too doubt their own selves. You can do so much more without help from wild animals."

He held out his hand for me to take after a moment of thinking. "Glad to meet you."

He took my hand with a strong grip and pulled himself up. Skelar suddenly went blurry and began to get enveloped by darkness that I couldn't tell where it had come from. Hel sprang onto the arena hurriedly with his arms out. I didn't know what was happening but apparently I had passed out. The last thing I saw was Skelar gaping at me in surprise not letting go of my hand.

"Sell!"

"Sell!

It had turned winter here in the village. Hel and Skelar helped with the rebuilding of the village. His werewolves had done a lot of damage. Many of the villagers had been injured and five had been found dead. Some were missing still.

Hel and Skelar knew that there was nothing they could do for the missing villagers. The werewolves had dragged them away and had possibly killed them. Each day they would come into my room and tell me how the rebuilding was going. How much progress they were making. I would smile at them as I drifted asleep from the drugs that were being given to me to help me heal.

I would be back to full health in a few more months. Meaning I'd be back up around spring time. I spent my time projecting myself to my family, talking to my father and my brothers. I helped them out around the farm and talked to my dad about everything that's been happening. Each time we talk I understand the Skeletal race a bit more.

They can do great things and bring catastrophe too. Always keeping themselves in check is a dire thing. I helped dad with his blue prints of the mob grinders he was building to decrease the mass of evil that was steadily gathering in all the caves in Minecraft. Father had never seen this many monsters pouring out of caves in years. The last time he saw this was when he and Lones still accompanied Lady Ananon.

We sat at the hearth sipping tea and staring into the fire. My father's eyes had gone back to their normal looking self. It made me happy that he was smiling again.

"Have you heard about the werewolves that are selling themselves to a Skeletal heir in exchange for a drop of their blood?"

I looked up at him when he said that. "I faced a teen called Skelar that had made a pact with a group of werewolves."

"Did you beat him?" Father leaned forward interested in this.

I nodded. "Just barely. The words you said to me helped me out at the last minute. He stabbed me in the heart and in the right chest." My eyes stared at the fire. "I won't be back up until spring. Hel is watching over Skelar and any possible werewolves to attack the village again."

My father smiled at me. "I knew you'd know how to handle him. As for Skelar, that's Lones son. It now makes sense why he acquired help when he almost died."

"The Pact?"

"It's a dangerous trade off. An heir's blood for signature to attain power from werewolves that has hardly anything to give." My father looked into the fire with a hard look. "They trick those into believing they are a powerful group with many on hand to take down anything that stands in their master's way."

My mind went back to when I and Hel entered the village for the first time and saw all the carnage going on by the werewolves. "All they bring is suffering and pain. Even death. There's no power in their ruthless jaws."

My father nodded. "Exactly. They have mastered the ability to trick people. No thanks to the foxes that roam the woods."

I shook my head at him placing my cup down. "It wasn't the foxes. The foxes can't understand their language. Hel said so. I talked to him about the possibilities of this. It was a human that teaches them this."

Father stared at me thinking. It was silent between us when the door opened to the living room. My brothers entered and sat down in the other chairs that were around the hearth.

"Listen to me wisely children. This is important information for all three of you that go out into the wild every day. Werewolves are two faced beasts of fury. They are not tame unlike Hel was. I trained Hel at an early age. He is on our side and will help you, Sell, with other werewolves that may be considered dangerous to you."

"He's helped me out plenty. Even trained me to sword fight."

My father nodded his head. "Hel has the responsibility to protect you at all costs. Even giving up his life to make sure you live. You are my last child, an heir to my bloodline. I cannot afford to lose you when you've hardly fought evil."

My brothers stared at me looking grim. "We're sorry we don't have what you have. We'd help you in any way we could, sister."

"Don't feel sorry. Don't be sorry about something like this. Be glad you're both the way you are."

They looked to one another and then to father who nodded in agreement. "I'm happy that you two are normal to be honest. Your mother would be devastated if you both were to die to the hands of evil."

"Mother doesn't know about this stuff. Don't utter a word of it to her," I said warning them.

They nodded. I turned to father again. "What about the werewolves of the wild?"

He stared at me and placed his cup down. "The moon is what gives them power. It also takes it away. As for the tame wolves they can change when they feel like it. Their power is broken when they are tamed by a Minecraftian."

"That explains Hel's ability to change at will." I folded my arms across my chest.

"You've ridden on his back before. Haven't you?" Father asked inclining his head slightly.

I nodded. He grinned at me.

"I know. I see you two in my dreams riding across the lands of Minecraft helping those in need. You are doing a greater good out of all the Skeletal Lords combined. You and Hel are strong together. I have faith in you that you both will help the Lords in their great fight against the darkness."

I remembered the time I leapt onto his back. Being raced through the village in leaps and bounds. He was faster than any horse I knew of. My body faded from the living room. I opened my eyes to see Hel sitting next to my bed resting his eyes.

I reached out and rested my hand on his head. His eyes opened to look at me.

"Thank you. I never got to say that fully to you."

He took my hand from his hand and slightly squeezed it. "I'm here always. Don't forget that."

I let myself drift back asleep with him holding onto my hand. I missed how someone would hold my hand as I would fall asleep. It brought back memories of when I and the little boy would nap in the tall grass beneath the great oak that had sprawling branches. We would stare up into the leaves and watch the light filter through and change around us as the wind would blow through the trees. I smiled to myself in my sleep as I placed myself amongst my younger self and the boy, enjoying the time I had there.


	13. Chapter 13 Maul

Ch.13 Maul

Skelar sat outside a home drinking water when Hel stepped next to him from the doorway. Skelar sat against the post of the porch lost in thought. Hel squatted down behind him and growled. Skelar leapt to his feet whipping out his sword. He paused and dropped his sword with a sigh.

"Damn it, Hel! I almost went right through you!"

Hel chuckled standing and stepping off the porch. "You wouldn't be able to touch me much with that sword. Good luck though."

"Hows Sell?" Skelar asked putting the sword away in his bag. "Is she awake?"

"She just settled back into sleep." Hel sat on the steps of the porch staring out at the forest on top of the ridge. "What has you lost in thought?"

"He hasn't returned."

"He?" Hel asked looking up at him. "Your werewolf?"

Skelar nodded sitting down next to Hel. "He was supposed to be back by now but nothing has come of him yet."

"He went hunting right?"

"yeah. He usually doesn't take this long." Skelar looked around at the villagers that were milling about doing things. They had worked alongside the villagers until they were happy with the progress and asked them to look after Sell.

Hel stared out at the landscape thinking. He smelled stale werewolf musk from when the village had been attacked. He also scented Skelar's werewolf that had left not long ago. His eyes traveled up the slope that the werewolf had taken and into the wood path. Hel stood and stretched.

"Stay here. I'll go have a look around. If I find him I'll bring him back."

Skelar watched the man sprint off following his friend's scent. _Damn, Sell. You're so lucky to have a guy like that. He goes out of his way to do things._ Skelar stood heading inside the house that belonged to the head guard Serdra to check on Sell.

"Skelar!" a female called out making him turn around.

"Oh. Hey, Serdra! You're home early. What's up?"

She came up the stairs looking at him then back the way that Hel ran off too. "What's going on? Hel hardly leaves Sell's side or the village for that matter."

"He's gone to look for my friend," he replied letting his shoulders droop slightly. "He hasn't been back from hunting so I was worried."

Serdra nodded. "He knows it's best for you to stay where it's safe. Seeing how Hel saved me with Sell yesterday I trust him." She stared out at the ridge that went above the village a ways. "I never trust werewolves but seeing how he does what Sell orders him to I think I'll let him stay here with her. I'm sure you're embarrassed for getting beat up by a girl? Hm?"

Skelar frowned at her. "You just keep telling me that don't you? I can't think of it as a bad dream?"

Serdra laughed smacking his leg with a rough slap that made him yelp and hop slightly. "Ow!"

"My bad. I don't know my own strength at times!" Serdra went off back to work waving good bye.

Skelar waved good bye before turning and heading into the house. He strode through the living room quietly and looked in on Sell in the back room to see that she was sleeping ok. _She must be having a nice dream. She never smiles in her sleep like that._

He sat down in the chair that was in the corner of the room. He slid down to a comfortable position and dozed off asleep forgetting that Hel had gone out searching.

Leaves flew past my face as I focused and realized I was running through the woods. I looked down to see my legs weren't moving but I was on the back of Hel.

"Hel. What's going on?"

_"Traitor!"_

_ "Grab him! He can't escape these woods!"_

I turned around behind us to see werewolves running around us as hard as they could to catch up to Hel. His sleek black head looked left and right thinking up a strategy. I grabbed onto his neck fur tightly as he surged upwards climbing the trunk of an oak tree. He perched on an upper limb and burst from the foliage, pushing off each tree trunk that he came in contact with. His sides heaved as he panted from running.

I looked behind us as we moved through the top part of the trees. The werewolves below were having a tough time keeping up with us. I couldn't figure out why Hel was running from them or why they were chasing after him. They didn't know him unlike the other wolves had on the islands. What was going on?

Hel fell to the ground heavily pushing off the ground and flinging his self over the ridge falling into the village below. There was no pond where he leapt off from. It had been the highest spot on the ridge. I screamed on his back and shut my eyes tightly. I found myself being awoken by Skelar.

"Sell! Sell! Wake up!" he pleaded with me shaking me. "Sell!"

I awoke with a start and grabbed him looking terrified and worried. "Go outside to the ridge. Hel! He's being chased! The highest spot!"

Skelar tried to make sense of what I was talking about before I collapsed in his arms out cold from the medicine. He laid me back down and hurried outside grabbing up a torch and wielding his sword. "What in hell was she talking about? Hel and the highest point on the ridge?"

He searched around the ridge that was the highest point but found nothing. Serdra came over with a torch and her sword as well wondering what he was doing.

"Why are you out here?"

"Sell had a vision that Hel came over this ridge I think. I see no sign of him though."

Howling could be heard above them and a great black mass shot over the ridge above their heads, crashing to the ground below with sickening cracks and laid there not moving. Serdra and Skelar remained crouched where they were, not believing what they were seeing.

"She was right."

"Dear, Notch! Hel!" Serdra sprang up crying out. "Hel!"

Skelar and Serdra tried to rouse him but it was no use. He was out cold. Serdra blew the whistle for the help of her other guards. Twenty men came running from all over the town and helped drag the great werewolf into the stables to be treated. Skelar noticed there was something within Hel's jaws and pulled it out with the help of the two veterinarians.

Looking down at it in his hand he realized that it was a collar. The color and fur that clung to it was his werewolf's. What was Hel doing with it in his jaws? He looked up at Hel's body watching his sides heave up and down, blood trickling from his nostrils. What in hell happened in the woods?

Heavy paws trampled the long grass that stood in the way. Elongated k9's hung down from the large maw of a disfigured werewolf with a black stripe that went from his muzzle to his tail. The moon shone on his auburn colored fur. The werewolves seemed to flinch and step away from his presence no matter what the ranking was.

_"Alpha Maul has arrived. The meeting shall begin!"_

The werewolves gathered in a huge circle while their leader stepped up onto a stump staircase that had been man made by the werewolves themselves. The werewolf eyes shone in the moonlight up to the alpha. Maul stood atop of the small stump ledge that allowed him to look down at the wolves.

_"I was told that we have a traitor in our ranks?"_ He stared down at them with eyes that shone no pupils. Just deep endless darkness. _"Where is this traitor now?"_

Maul's left hand werewolf stepped forward on his own ledge. His blonde fur glowing from the light above making him look angelic almost. _"He took refuge in the village that isn't far from here, sir. The Minecraftian's call him Hel. He had a collar about his neck."_

Maul narrowed his eyes. _"Hel… Is it the same Hel that appeared several years ago at the hand of a Skeletal Lord? In some war..?"_

The werewolves gasped below growling to one another. They couldn't believe that one of their own would help with the destruction and endless killing that this race was doing.

_"Him? He helped a Lord kill all those people? Good riddance we chased him!"_

_ "He is such a poor soul. It was our duty to chase him out."_

_ "May Notch help him."_

The werewolf alpha roared out at them all making them flinch and cower. He lifted his muzzle into wrinkles showing his elongated k9's with a growl that told them to be silent for good._ "This village houses an heir that has tamed one of our brethren. We cannot over see this!"_

A werewolf scowled up at him with distaste. _"Have you lost your mind? The Lord fucked his genes up! He is not part of us any longer! He chose his path, to be with the Minecraftian's and be a dog! I will not accept the bastard in this pure pack!"_

The werewolves chorused in barks and howls of agreements. Maul stood tall above them puffing out his chest and sighed. _"If his DNA has been altered like you've said then he is to be slain along with the heir starting tonight. I will not have any tainted blood running about in my territory. What became of that Minecraftian that signed his blood to us?"_

Maul's right hand werewolf spoke up shaking a lock of fur from his eyes. _"He was defeated by Hel's owner. Upon further inspection he has been taken under her care and watched over by Hel. They have the village to defend them."_

Maul growled. _"It has come to my attention that Hel along with that boy that failed to uphold his contract, and Hel's master will be executed tomorrow night. Tonight we will prepare ourselves for the mass slaughter. No village should defend those that work for evil!"_

The forest was awakened by the howls that chorused throughout the trees. Birds cried out taking flight away from the ruckus that was going on below.

Hel's eyes slowly opened and blinked. A veterinarian assistant perked up and knelt in front of him. "You're awake finally. How are you feeling?"

The assistant removed the tube that was going down Hel's nose to his chest. Hel reared up snapping shaking his head from the discomfort. _"I was better off not knowing that I'm tubed up."_

"You're free of the tube now. My apologies." The assistant stood feeling his body of the breaks he had taken from the fall off the ridge. "Please stand still as I check you over for your remaining injuries."

Hel stood still as the woman prodded and poked here and there. Her hand suddenly hit a weak spot in his lower rib making him yelp. The assistant stepped back with a frown. "You need more rest. You can't be up and going just yet."

Hel changed back to his human self and gasped leaning against the fence that held the cows in. "Sell. She and Skelar are in danger. I need to protect them!"

Serdra stepped into the stable and shut the door behind her. What's with all the fuss for? I've never heard a werewolf cry out as much as you have about one single broken bone."

Hel stared at her un-amused. "Tell her I'm the only one that can fight against the werewolves. You all can't handle the numbers. You just rebuilt and haven't built up your numbers again. I can't have them hurt you all again!"

"Hel?" I whispered at the door making everyone turn. Hel yanked open the door to see me leaning on a crutch looking up at him tiredly. "Hel, I was with you when you were running through the woods. What's happening?"

"Maul is what's happening." He walked towards me worried. "You're in no shape to fight them. They'll be here tonight or tomorrow."

"I'll prepare a watch." Serdra said walking past us hurriedly. "By the way, who's Maul?"

"The werewolf alpha amongst _all_ werewolf clans. He is the ruling werewolf that says what stays and what goes. He's strong and he's ruthless." Hel looked from me to Serdra.

I stared at him leaning heavily on the crutch. "You speak as if you know him personally."

Hel turned away and sat back on a haystack. "I'm his son."

I stared at the hearth in my parent's living room. My father sat in the chair next to me. We were silent for a little while he chewed on a wheat stalk.

"You've got questions." He sighed and sat back staring at the ceiling. "Spit it out, Sell."

"Who was Hel's father?"

Rien turned to me raising a brow. "Why?"

"It's vital for us right now." I looked at him hard. "Who was it?"

"I don't remember." Father chewed on the stalk a bit too fast for my liking.

"You're lying to me. That's ok though. It was Maul, wasn't it?" I leaned over on the arm rest looking intently at him. He leaned away looking a different way. My leg shot out and kicked him in the right leg making him jump.

"Fuck! Yes! It was Maul!" dad grumbled rubbing his leg. "You didn't have to kick me if you already knew the damn answer!"

I jumped up out of my seat and leaned over him pissed off. "He's coming to the village I'm in! I'm laid up in bed with an injury from the last werewolf attack! Hel has a broken rib and Skelar has hardly any abilities!"

Dad stared at me as his left brow slowly rose up. "Not my fault you got yourself in that much trouble. Damn."

I sighed exasperated collapsing in the chair. "I'm just pissed that I can't do anything! It's nerve wracking!"

"I trained Hel for many years while living with your mother and raising you three." Dad stared in the fire and smiled. "If there's anything he's more proud to uphold, it would be the duty to protect others."

"He would give his life for them," I said repeating what my dad had told me before. Dad nodded at me. I sighed hanging my head. "That's what I don't want him to do though. I don't want him to give his life up this early in my training stage just so a bunch of werewolves won't harm us!"

Dad stroked the small goatee on his chin before snapping his fingers and getting to his feet. "Hang on. I'll be right back. Don't leave!"

I sat in my chair slightly confused. "Ok? I'll stay right here."

Dad turned into the flicking light of the fire and shot up the staircase that was to my right a little behind us. I heard his footsteps heading to the front room that over looked the farm. His walking paused at his writing desk before returning. His hands held a sheet of paper that had a drawing of a circle with symbols on the inside and directions on another piece of paper.

"This is an incantation to call up help when you need it. It won't be too stressful on your heart. All you have to have is the energy to call on."

I took the papers looking at them. "You created this?"

Dad nodded taking his seat once more in front of the fire. "I taught it to a group of learning lords a few months back. None of them could really execute it very well. All you have to do is draw it out on the ground to call up a horde pf monsters at your disposal."

I looked up at him with a grin on my face. "I like this already."

After a while of talking I decided it was time for us to depart and head to bed. Before I left I turned to dad once more as he was putting away our cups. "Dad."

He looked to me with raised brows that said what?

"Your next meeting. When is it?"

"It'll be this weekend at midnight." He placed the cups in the sink running water into them. "If nothing comes up to make us cancel it. It's always been on the weekends at midnight. Well almost always."

I nodded my head disappearing. "Night."

"Night, Sell." He watched me fade into nothing while leaning on the counter.

I rolled over to see Sell resting on the floor sprawled out in his werewolf form. I smiled watching him rest. Even though I was in worse shape than him I felt I could finally help in some way, if little at all. In my hands were the two papers that dad had given me. Hel's right eye opened slowly focusing on her.

_"You're up. You and your dad have a nice chat?"_

"You won't be fighting alone after all. I'll be by your side to aide you. I'll need to practice tomorrow though. I swear I'll stand strong by your side. You don't have to continuously shield me from everything." I slowly sat up against my pillow leaning on the side table. "You're not invincible, Hel. Neither of us are to be honest. I must protect you because you're the only thing I've got out here that can tell me good from evil. Whatever you do… _Don't_ give up your life just to save me! That's such an idiotic move!"

Hel cocked his head as I slid into the sheets of the bed and covered myself with them. It was silent in the room. No one was moving it seemed, just breathing.

_"How long have you been worrying over that sort of thing?"_

I sighed under the covers. "Ever since my dad told me what you'd strive to do."

Hel got to his paws and rose up onto my bed to sit at the edge. _"To be honest I only pretended to do that in front of your dad so he'd like me. I'm not really going to give my life for a mere Minecraftian such as you."_

I flipped the sheets off me angrily. "You cold hearted-"

I was suddenly suffocated beneath a great paw that was auburn color. My eyes stared up into bright green eyes that narrowed at me. His weight was too much for my chest I felt my stitches starting to pop. Hot blood began to soak my bandages on my chest. I tried to scream through his great paw but it was covering my nose from getting air.

He was deliberately suffocating me! I managed to bite his palm and make the werewolf yelp. I screamed as loud as I could through the pain and the spasms that my heart was giving off. An imposter had snuck into the village posing as Hel and tricked us all.

"You're not Hel! Who are you?"

I grabbed my crutch and gave the auburn werewolf an uppercut with it. The werewolf snapped and snarled grabbing the crutch from my grasp and throwing it out the window.

_"Plan A is in motion, child. Be good and I won't kill you."_

No help was coming to me. Where was everyone? I had no choice but to do as he said.

"What do you want?"

The werewolf grinned seeing he had the upper hand in this._ "I'm taking you to my alpha. From there he will deal with you and Hel."_

"Where are the villagers?" My eyes narrowed at him as I flinched from the pain in my chest.

_"The villagers are all being looked after. No worries, little heir."_ He rose and scooped me up roughly. I looked over his shoulder at the paper that had fallen to the floor. I touched my bandage that soaked my fingers in blood and flicked droplets of blood on the paper. Please say it would react.

As the werewolf stepped out of the house he scanned the village where he had stationed some lookouts and took off up the trail that curved around the ridge and into the forest. I clung to his shoulder to try and alleviate pressure on my chest but only made it worse.

"Who are you?"

The werewolf ignored me as he bounded through the woods on two legs. I reached up and grabbed his ear, tugging it down. He snapped and threw me across the trail shaking his head.

_"You little whelp! How dare you bring my ear down like that! It doesn't bend that way, damn it!"_

I tumbled and bounced heavily across the gravel trail before finally stopping in a patch of weeds. I gasped for air, all my stitches had been popped out. Nothing was holding my heart together to beat properly. Blood dripped from my mouth as I coughed from being winded, spraying droplets on the ground. I was suddenly grabbed by my hair in the back and wrenched up to the werewolf's eye level.

"_Little bitch! Don't do that again! I'll kill you next time!"_

I cried out clawing at his paw. "Let go of my hair!"

He held me under his left arm sprinting across the trail again. The pressure on my lower abdomen wasn't helping my chest. Nothing at this point would allow me to live with the type of wound I had. _I must keep consciousness. The circle…_

I thought back to the symbols on the paper within the circle. I had placed blood on it hoping it would react if I sent energy to it. It suddenly hit me that my idea would be dead. The symbol needed my body, the main source of power. _Damn it all! What am I to do?_

I slowly began to slip away to unconsciousness. All my sense began to die as my blood ran from me steadily. How could I let this happen? Maybe I wasn't fit to be an heir after all. Skelar, Serdra, the villagers, my parents, my brothers all flashed one by one in my mind. All reciting words that I had remembered in our short time together.

_How could I do this to them?_

Fur that was black as night brushed my cheek. I turned around in my dream state staring into the eyes of Hel as I remembered him in his werewolf form. His Minecraftian form standing next to it. He held my gaze smiling as tears ran down my cheeks. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

His hand and his paw reached out and rested on my head. "Why do you always worry about stuff that doesn't need to be worried about? Things happen for a reason, whatever it may be, take it all in strides."

I watched as he began to fade, the weight of his forms beginning to lighten. "Sell, stop crying. Heir's don't cry over the small things…"

His touch faded into nothing. I was alone in darkness crying with no one to turn too. I let me head fall and sobbed loudly. "I've failed you all! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

In the darkness a bird cried out. The calls got closer and closer slowly. Looking up I could see a great black raven soaring over to me head level with large red eyes. It wasn't a normal bird at all. Within its beak held a white and black feather from some other bird.

What bird would have a mixture of both? The great raven let the feathers drop in front of me into the darkness. The darkness below me rippled and shone brightly turning into a huge amount of clear milky blue water. The white and black feather combined and exploded into a blinding light making me shield my eyes.

"_Sell."_ A female asked, her voice echoing softly around me.

I let my arms drop slowly as I got accustomed to the light to see a woman rising from the water with a white robe on and a coronet on her head. He milky blue eyes shone softly on me. I stared at her wondering who she was. Her right arm lifted out to me as she offered me her hand.

_"Come. There's something you must see, my dear child."_

"Who are you?" I asked taking a step on the water. Surprisingly I didn't sink.

_"You know of me, child. Among the great ones you are known as our future savior."_ She took a step towards me brushing the hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear. _"You have the eyes of Lord Rien. I adored his eyes. They had their own light whenever he did things. He was such a strong amn, as was Lones. They were like brothers to me and they acted like brothers too."_

I gasped staring at her. "You're…!"

She smiled softly and chuckled. _"You have many questions, child. Most of them you can answer yourself. You've been fighting for your life ever since you met Hel. I'm terribly sorry for bringing you into this."_

I shook my head at her. "No, please don't be like that for me. It'll be ok. I'm fine with it."

She frowned at me then and took a step closer to touch my cheek. Her aura had warmth, something her hand lacked but I didn't mind. I could tell I was in no danger. _"Such softness of a heart is not good. The willingness to accept things is hereditary it seems though."_

I looked down not knowing if that was a compliment or not. I felt bad if I didn't help others though. "You came to me for a reason. What was it?"

Her eyes shone brighter than before as she smiled. She took my hands in both of hers bringing me towards the light. _"This is important for your future, dear child of the devil. You must not allow this future to happen, whatever the case may be."_

I stared at her wondering what she meant as we stepped closer and closer into the bright light. "Am I dead?"

_"Those alive all must die once to speak with the dead and the living unite the two together in harmony."_

"Lady Ananon," I pleaded to her as we were absorbed into the light.

_Lady Ananon!_

_ Sell, do not be afraid. You are in no pain. You are in the hands of good. Notch is watching over us. He is the being that sent me to you, to finish something we could not. Please hear my cry for a savior?_

_ Lady Ananon… _


	14. Chapter 14 Aquica Atlias's King

Ch.14 Aquica Atlias's King

Ananon's Life Part 1

A large village thrived with networks of cobblestone walk ways that suspended above the blue ocean. One road held enough room for horses and carts, the other allowed walkers to walk freely without the fear of being run over. Sandstone, cobblestone, solid stone, and gravel were all uniquely collaborated and placed around the village. Wood was hardly used because it could be set on fire. There was to be no outside fire's allowed here.

Children were led by teachers, teaching them the ways of the village. A solid stone road with a intricate design of added sandstone here and there paved the way to the biggest part of the area; the city. It had multiple boat docks for many different types of boats to do trade. The channel was busy from day to night as ships and boats moved in and out constantly.

The city was built by a royal family. The Ravendon lineage. The King and Queen had a daughter , Ananon, and a son, Nain, whom they doted upon. The daughter was a smart and clever girl that could do no wrong. The boy was like his father, smart in the areas of business and trade with an eye for construction.

The city was called Aquica Atlias. It's main business was trade but it also farming and trading of thoroughbred horses for racing. Each couple of months horse racers from all around would sail there to race their prized horses. The grand prize if someone were to win thirty thousand diamonds in diamond blocks. Plenty of wealth to make a simple Minecraftian go into debt quickly.

Day in and day out it was all the same. With the King and Queen busy with their duties the daughter, Ananon, decided to walk in the park that over looked the ocean. Ananon stared out at the vast sea with the ocean breeze ruffling her short white hair. She sighed into the breeze bored of the life here. It was all too peaceful, too friendly, too happy. Where was the evil? The darkness?

Where was all of that? The people that came here by boat daily spoke of robberies and slayings from other Minecraftians. None of that happened here though. Thunder in the distance made her look off in the direction the sun would set to see dark clouds beginning to form. _It takes seconds out here for a storm to form up and blow in. I guess I'll head to the stables to see the horses while the storm blows in._

Ananon pushed off from the fence line and headed off at a jog to the stables that were at the edge of the village across the bridge. A hay cart began to rumble by her allowing her to jump on the back and get a free ride across the bridge, swinging her legs on the back freely. Inside the glass tunnel she could watch the storm rolling in with huge dark clouds. This was a bigger storm than she anticipated. The sun was covered by the dark clouds in a matter of a few minutes.

The winds were blowing much stronger. The hay cart rumbled on at a tad bit of a faster pace than it had been going. New horses that weren't used to the thunder began to whinny inside the tunnel tossing their heads and rolling their eyes. The riders and farmers tried as best as they could to handle their work beasts and try to not clog the tunnel. Ananon's ride got through the cart with no hardships, the horse was well trained and had been accustomed to storms.

Entering the village she saw all windows were shut and locked, all doors were shutting and businesses were getting out their torches. City workers went about removing the glow stone lamps so that they wouldn't lose the precious material. The hay cart stopped at one of the main farms that shipped out vegetables and other things for trade. Ananon slid off and jogged over to the stables as they were just shutting. Slipping inside before the workers shut them fully she ran face first into a black mare.

The mare whinnied shaking her head and nosing Ananon. Ananon apologized to the mare petting her nose gently. The farmer wandered over from a stall wondering what was going on and saw Ananon. "Princess!"

She smiled at him. "How are you today, Hinn?"

The two sat on hay bales talking about their day like old friends. They had only just recently met one another. Ananon looked to Hinn as a grandfather while Hinn saw her as a granddaughter. His family had left him to live elsewhere since they didn't appreciate the kind of money he was making as a farmer. Hinn had bumped into Ananon by chance one day at the market when he had been accused of robbery by someone else that looked similar to him.

Ananon had dealt with that fiasco quite well, telling the guards to look elsewhere, that she could see the truth in his eyes and look straight into his soul. He was an innocent being accused of someone else's robbery. The guards couldn't go against a royal and backed off. Hinn was in her debt but Ananon said it was only a good deed to be done for a hard worker such as him. She walked him home and stayed for mushroom stew and left to head home.

Each other week Ananon would take a trip through the tunnel to go visit Hinn and see how he was doing. The horses were doing exceptionally well and the chickens were healthy, producing two times as much eggs as were needed in shipment each day. Farming was a seasonal change and very regularly the crops would be good or be poor, depending on the weather. Ananon kicked her legs against the haystack looking up at the sunroofs for the upper part of the barn.

"Have you heard from your family?"

Hinn shook his head. "It's been three years, Ana. They aren't going to talk to me anymore."

"I wouldn't give up hope, Hinn. It's possible the mailman can't find them. You might have the wrong address." Ana smiled and patted his knee. "I told you I've been trying to find them for you. It's gotten quite tedious."

He nodded sadly. "She was always the running type. Everyone told me she would but I didn't listen. I only believed what I saw before me."

I looked out at the stables at the resting horses. Some grazed on the hay and oats while others settled down in their stalls snorting quietly. There was a high pitched whinny from the back stalls as the barn door was shut. A white foal galloped around the corner bucking and carrying on, its hooves slipping on the hay that was on the floor and crashed into the stall door of a brown mare that got to her feet with a start. I leapt up and knelt down in front of the white horse noticing its horn that was protruding from its little forehead.

"Be careful, Ana. That little foal is a hand full. It'll bite too." Hinn warned walking over to her.

Ananon stared into the foal's eyes and offered her hand to his nose slowly. He snorted and whinnied getting to his hooves. Ananon got to her own feet rubbing the little nose of the foal. The farm hands stared in surprise that the foal was allowing her to touch it.

"You'll be quite the stud out there in the field when you grow up." Ananon said letting her hand fall to her side.

Thunder and lightning cracked and boomed above the stable making the foal whinny and sprint away around the stables. The farmhands trying to tackle the little foal before it hurt its self. The foal eluded them heading straight for Ananon.

Ananon took the rope off Hinn's belt and lopped it around the little foal's neck as it passed by. Ananon did a quick knot and looped it on a wrangling post. The foal was yanked back off its hooves and onto the wood floor where it whinnied and scrambled back onto its hooves. Hinn clapped her on the shoulder proudly. "Nicely done!"

Hinn and Ananon moved into his small farm house and sat in the kitchen drinking tea as the storm raged outside.

"Seems like the beer and the winery isn't going to be doing too good this season." Hinn said after sipping his tea. "The grain was infiltrated by a swarm of bugs. Worst it's ever been."

"Oh dear. Dad was hoping to have more of the spiced ale this year," Ananon replied frowning. "I guess he'll have to wait next year."

"Your dad and I both. I was wanting some of the ale myself. Beer sales will be down this year from it. Including wine."

Lightning illuminated the room and thunder boomed so loud it made the farm house shake slightly. Ananon and Hinn held their cups so they wouldn't rattle. Hinn's pet crow cawed in the corner of his perch cocking his head at the weather. Ananon looked out the window at the treacherous water that was giving the breakers a beating with every wave.

"It's going to be tough for ships to dock with the sea this bad."

Hinn nodded in agreement. "How are the water reserves coming along? You said the tanks were almost complete?"

She beamed at him setting her cup down. "They completed the work yesterday afternoon! They also tested them and they are all in working order! The control room is near the water works building in the city."

"They can reroute water when it gets flooded then?" Hinn set his cup down folding his arms on the table.

Ananon nodded. Her milky blue eyes lighting up. "Each farm as an underground water canal. It won't affect the crops or the soil at all because its covered. Each canal connects to a water chamber that flows directly to one of the nine water pumps. This storm won't make a dent in the pumps. It'll probably fill one pump up but the water in that one pump is treated for salt and other things before being redistributed to residents and farmland."

Hinn smiled at her. She knew what was going on, right down to the machinery that was being installed. "Such a bright girl."

She smiled at the compliment. "Dad says nothing can get past me."

"He's right. Nothing can." Hinn smiled with her picking up his cup.

The front door banged open as a frantic farm hand stepped in panting. "Sir! Lightening has struck the back barn door! It's on fire!"

Hinn leapt to his feet and sprinted out barking orders. All the farmhands were running about with buckets of water and axes trying to put out the fire before it consumed the rest of the barn. The horses were crying out afraid of the flickering flames that leapt up the wall higher and higher. Ananon sat in the kitchen watching and decided that it was time to leave. Placing their cups in the sink she went out the front door and stopped.

The foal that she had tied up was going nuts and tying himself up against the post. Soon he would be choking himself. She pushed open the barn door and began to undo his rope. With the rope in her hand she lead the little foal to a gate where she let him go. The farmhands were also letting the other horses into the same pen from a different gate. Ananon closed the other gate she had opened so the horses couldn't get out. Smoke and fire billowed up from the barn as the fire raged on without stopping.

"Oh no. Hinn!" Ananon rushed into the barn out of the thrashing rain and saw the farm hands working hard to stop it. A beam cracked and fell from above to the stalls below. The farmhands were blocked from the back entrance. In the smoke and flames on the other side was Hinn, who was trapped under a fallen beam.

"Hinn!" Ananon cried out. The farmhands looked closer and saw him. Ananon whirled around looking at the horses she could pick from. Jumping on the back of a black Pegasus she took its mane and urged it to fly.

In this weather someone wouldn't dare fly in such winds but right now it was a dire emergency! She had the black Pegasus take off low to the ground where the wind wouldn't hit its wings so hard. She circled around to the back of the barn and landed the horses in the grass where it raked its hoof over the grass, not liking the fire and the storm together. Ananon rushed in from the back picking up a shovel and using it to pry the beam off Hinn so that he could slide out. Once he was safely out I let the shovel go and let the beam crash back onto the wood floor, breaking in half.

We escaped out the back into the lashing rain that was being whipped around by the wind. Hinn pulled himself onto the back of the Pegasus and helped me up in front of him. The Pegasus leapt the fence that had kept the horses in and raced down the gravel drive that separated one field from another. The farmhands rushed to meet the Pegasus and help Hinn down. Ananon slid off herself and looked back towards the city where the worst of the storm was.

Lightening was striking windows and blowing holes in buildings. This was the worst storm she had seen. She turned to Hinn and shouted over the storm to him.

"I need to borrow this horse! I'll return it when I come back!"

Hinn nodded at her and watched her turn the black Pegasus around and race out of the village and into the glass tunnel. The hooves making sparks as it struck the solid stone road. The horse flew across the bridge in a flat speed of mere seconds. Much faster than a hay cart or any other horse that she knew of. The black Pegasus snorted smoke as it leapt over a market stand that had blown over in the storm.

Ananon looked up through the thrashing waves of rain that hit her face at the sandstone tower that stood high above the rest of the city. She could see holes on the front and sides where the lightning had struck it relentlessly. She urged it up the stairs in a few quick leaps and had it inside the building before she knew it. The Pegasus reared pawing the air before trotting in circles not sure where to go. She grabbed its halter and pulled it off towards the stairs where it began its leaps up the winding staircase.

The horse came to a stop in the doorway of the office allowing Ananon to slip off its back. Her parents and brother were cowering in the closet when they heard the sounds of hooves. "Ananon!"

She embraced them each and sighed with relief. "Thank Notch! I thought you all were hurt or worse!"

Her brother teared up and began crying. "The cat got fried."

She hugged her brother with a slight chuckle. "We'll get a new one."

Her father and mother looked around through the gaping hole that the lightning had done in the office wall behind the desk. "Good lord, this is going to be expensive to repair."

"Nah, it'll be good for an addition."

"An addition? What are we going to be placing there?"

Ananon smiled at her parents as they discussed things over on the hole. Her brother gasped as he looked past her to the Pegasus. "Whoa!"

She turned to see him go up to the horse and pet it on its muzzle. "I see you like him. He belongs to one of my friends in the village. He helped me with a few things today."

"Why are you associating with the poor?" Her dad asked overhearing the conversation. "They will steal you away and try to get money out of you."

"They wouldn't dare touch me, dad." She said walking over to the gaping wall. "I've friended them all mostly. I help them with their problems. Do you realize that they are affected by things that happen in the city? I bet you didn't know that the new changes have made them happier. The water they were getting was backwash from the previous water tank!"

Her father looked away and snorted. "So? Nothing wrong with that."

"Backwash is disgusting!" Ananon snapped whirling around on him. "How could you let them drink that? Use it? It went on our crops! Our food!"

"Dad," Ananon's brother Nain butted in. "You should be ashamed of yourself! That's no way to treat the villagers! Just because they are poor doesn't make them any different than the city folk!"

"Thank you, Nain!" Ananon said clapping him on the shoulder. "Someone see's what I'm trying to say!"

"I knew nothing of this," gasped Lyrena staring at her husband. "Hatos! How could you?"

"You didn't tell her of this?" Ananon narrowed her eyes. "Dad, you're going to be in the dog house tonight and don't you dare come crying to us. You put yourself in this situation, you get yourself out."

Ananon turned away and began walking towards the horse that was sniffing the couch on the side wall. She stopped and turned back to him. "Another thing. The villagers are my responsibility from now on. What you want to build and such for the city goes through me also. Not just you. It seems you can't handle two types of living."

She took the halter and led the horse to the hole in the wall. Pulling herself up onto its back she had it take off into the pouring rain once more. She returned to the village with the horse and placed it in the pasture with the others. Leaning on the gate looking at the partially burned down barn her friend wandered over to her with crutches under his arms.

"Hey. Your folks ok?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry."

He looked at her then at the barn. "Oh, don't worry. We'll rebuild it in the next couple of days. No worries."

"No. "She looked up at him with sadness and guilt. "I'm sorry my dad has been hurting you all like he has. Backwash from the tanks? How is that good for you all?" If I had known sooner I could've stopped all of this dirty laundry he's got going on."

Hinn looked at the barn frowning. "You don't have to do such things for us. We're fine with boiling the water."

She grabbed him by the collar and spun him to her eye level. "Don't you dare settle for anything less! Why do you do that?"

Hinn could not speak to her. His throat created such a lump it was hard for him to even breathe. She let him go and pressed the button that opened the sliding glass doors to the pasture entrance. Hinn watched her leave on foot this time as she returned home. He sighed and turned his head to stare into the eyes of the black Pegasus.

"Whoa, buddy!" He patted the muzzle of the horse and smiled. "You scared me."

The horse snorted flicking its ears and looked off towards Ananon was walking across the bridge. It gave a slight whinny and whipped its tail behind him.

"She'll be alright. Things are sort of in the dark right now and she doesn't like that." Hinn said quietly and pressed the button to leave.

The horse snorted walking away back to the herd that was grazing in the damp grass. Hinn stared at the herd that he had been raising for quite some time now. These were all of the King's horses that he had obtained in bets and trading. Hinn then stared out at the distant island that contained the nine glass water holders that towered fifty to sixty blocks high with solid stone at the corners to support the weight. _We've been getting backwash for quite some time. I don't remember when we've tasted fresh water. Ananon, what are you planning to do?_

Ananon stood on the docks staring at the waves of the ocean watching swell and drop one after another. Her fathers' wrong doings weren't going to be going on any longer! She _had_ to stop all of it and make it right. The people were being hurt in some way or another by it all. She hated to see them suffer when things could be better!

Out in the distance a light bobbed up and down from the movements of the waves. It was a ship coming in. A mermaid was on the front of the boat reaching out to the heavens above. The sails were black with a purple and green crest could be seen from where she was. The ship was going at least ten miles an hour, good enough to enter the channel but it would have to bring down two of its four sails to be going the right speed.

It was a tad bit late to be trading but the city did trading twenty-four hours a day. Profit was everyone's will to keep going around here. Ananon turned away and strode out towards the park yawning. She was tired from the days events but she wasn't quite ready to turn in just yet. She still had to figure out a way to make sure her father didn't rip anymore people off.

_I still can't believe he'd resort to something like that. Ugh! Makes my stomach knot up just thinking about it! The jerk! I'm sure he'll be happy sleeping on the couch for his bad deeds._ She sat on a bench in the park as a glowstone lit up the area around her, the light fading fast in the horizon. She was fifteen years old and she already knew how to run her dads job just by making simple changes to some ideas here and there to make the people happy and the work progress in a way that wouldn't cost much. Her mother didn't stand for bullshit. You either did it right the first time or don't do it at all. She rubbed her eyes as her head inclined to the sky above with a sigh. _Damn. It's going to come down to that. I hate that._

Early next morning the tower was empty when Ananon awoke. She went over to the bulletin board to see if there was any news and found out that a big race was to be held before the opening ceremony of the new pumps. _What the fuck is he expecting out of this?_ She narrowed her eyes and got dressed. _I wonder what mom said to him last night after I left?_

Leaving the office building she hitched a ride on a passing green Jeep that was driving towards the stadium in the center of the city. It's driver was a seventeen year old boy that had huge pants and a shirt on. "Well, well. Not every day does the Princess jump in my Jeep."

"Not every day does she hitch a ride with a total stranger," she replied with a smile. "How are you, Dric?"

"Gloom and doom, my fair maiden." He replied putting on his sunglasses from the console between them. "You're up a bit early to be out. A special occasion? This race perhaps?"

"Father is up to something. I need to overlook every document he gets. Did you know he's giving the villagers backwash?"

"For one, ew. Two, ew. Three, what the fuck is he thinking?" Dric laid down on the horn as a dog wandered out into the road. It stopped at the horn and cocked its head at them. "You dumb ass wolf! Get a fucking brain!"

The Jeep swerved around the wolf and sped on down the street. The dog watched them and barked before going on its merrily way. Ananon put her face in her hand and laughed. Dric raised a brow in her direction before shrugging and stomping the gas pedal down further. "We're going to be a tad late. You don't mind?"

"I do."

"Damn. Ok. Hang on!" he said yanking the wheel right sharply and making the jeep come up on two wheels as they went into a tight ally. Ananon heard clicks as the jeep activated pressure plates and was suddenly seeing a road that hadn't been there before. She gasped as the Jeep hit the ramp and drove up steps that wrapped around and around sharply before being shot across ice and flying off the road into mid air.

"We're falling!" she exclaimed gripping the seat with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Dric! Dric! Dric!"

"Calm down woman," he replied calmly and pushed a lever that opened a parachute above the jeep. Their decent was much slower. "That better?"

She slowly turned her head towards him and ground her teeth that made him lean back slightly. "Umm, yeah. I'll take that as a 'Yes, that's better' face."

There was a sudden sound of crunch and glass breaking along with iron and metal scraping one another as the Jeep touched down on top of something. Ananon turned to him as he looked over the side of the Jeep to see a smart car being squished into the cement by the Jeep. "Whoops! Oh well. We're here, Princess!"

She face palmed herself before getting out, being careful to not get hurt on the glass and iron poking out below the Jeep. "Your driving is impeccable as always."

"Thank you, My lady. Your facial expressions are quite a laugh." He replied winking at her. His hair flopping into his face on the right.

The two entered the stadium to see one hell of a crowd had filled up the stadium enough to make people stand. She took Dric by the wrist and led him into the door that she and her family take to go to their stands up in the sky boxes. Dric looked at the walls as paintings of all sorts passed by them. "Whoa. These are nice!"

"Yeah and very expensive. Don't touch," she warned as they jogged up stairs and took an elevator to the top. The elevator light flipped on in the sky box as the doors opened for them to leave the platform. Her mother turned around and smiled. "Hello, Dric! How are you?"

He nodded his head. "Quite well, Ma'am. You are looking well today."

She stood from her chair and walked over to them. "Thank you. You still haven't found a belt for those pants yet, hm?"

He blushed and held them with a free hand. "My apologies! I brought your daughter to see the race. She doesn't seem the type to run places by herself." He grinned at her and received a punch to the shoulder that made him flinch. "I think I was wrong."

"Ananon, be polite," her mother warned and looked towards her brother. "Nain, Dric is here. You want to go hang with him while me and Ananon talk for a bit?"

Ananon looked to Dric and nodded her head. Dric understood that this was important and pressed the button for the elevator to return. "Come on, buddy. We'll go get a hamburger or something!"

Nain looked at Ananon with uncertainty as he passed and loaded up in the elevator with Dric. "See you later."

Ananon waved goodbye as the doors closed and took them down. She let her arm fall by her side as uncomfortable silence came between them. "You know what I've come to propose."

Her mother turned and went to her seat. Her black cat mewing as it leapt into her lap to be petted. "I don't know if you should just yet, Ananon. Your father isn't happy with you."

"I could hardly care right now, mom! If I don't step in and stop what he's doing then he's going to keep doing it and make things far worse than it already is!" she exclaimed jumping over the couch and sitting in it. "I mean, I already spoke to Hinn and promised him I'd give the village pure water! I can't go back on my word."

Her mother looked at her as Ananon looked back. "Please? You don't know if dad has done more dirty deeds to the city that grandpa worked hard to create all those years. He's taking it all for granted."

Her mother looked out the glass window and sighed. To Ananon that meant that things were possibly going in her direction or it meant that her mother was having a hard time deciding what was right. Either way, something had to be done and her mother's consent was all she needed.

**Hey guys! Thank you all for continuously reading this! I'm so happy that you all have been returning to read each chapter that I put out. That really keeps me motivated to keep going with this. In my profile I keep the story uploading process updated to tell you all when you can read the next chapter before it's been put out or how the chapter's progress is going.**

**Check it daily to see if I changed it. I really appreciate you all for keeping an interest in my very first fan fiction. I can't believe that I've gotten so many views and watchers in just 13 chapters! Thank you all so much! I would like to have more reviews on the story and tell me how it's going so far if you all would? Tell me how you like it so far and what not. I would love to hear ya'lls thoughts!**

**There's more chapters to come! Stay tuned!**

**~Yunalia**


	15. Chapter 15 Pride

Ch.15 Pride

Ananon's Story Part 2

Ananon stared at her mother who was looking out of the window to the racing track below. She had sighed just a moment ago as a decision was needed by her. Ananon had more patience than was needed for this. She would give her mother all the time she needed to think this over. It was a big decision on her mother's part and it impacted her father's work quite a bit.

"You're so much like me, Ananon." Her mother muttered as she sat back in her chair. Her shoulders slightly drooped. "I couldn't have any other daughter like you. Every day I hear reports about you in the village or in the city doing little things that the people love. It seems you are their voice when we don't listen. You listen to their issues and do what you can for them. I ask myself everyday when I'm in my study where did I get such a daughter from?"

Ananon sat quietly listening to her.

"Do you have any idea just how many reports come in for you only to handle?"

She looked to her mother surprised by this. "I get reports?"

Her mother nodded as she stroked the cat's back and watched it arch up in approvement. "Just this morning I received reports that you saved hinn, the farmer of your fathers horses. He got trapped in his burning barn and you were there to save him."

"I went to say hey." Ananon spoke up clearing her throat. "I saw the storm coming in and went there to wait it out. I'm glad I had in the end. I don't think he would be alive today."

"Brave like your father and dutiful like your mother. Talented and smart." Her mother looked at her finally with a soft gaze. "Now you're going past your duty just to correct your father."

The cat mewed looking at them before leaping out of her mothers lap to go to its cat bed and curl up. Her mother stood going to the window, crossing her arms in front of her. "What kind of fool are you to go up against your father? He's the King, Ananon."

"I'm Princess. I have just as much right as he does on the order that goes on in the city or in the village!" she countered leaning on the arm rest of the couch. "Haven't you ever gone up against his authority?"

"Never."

Ananon stared at her mom's back and sighed exasperatedly. "Mom, I've told you what would happen if dad was left unchecked. Just look back at your father's mistakes. What happened there?"

"Stop it, Ananon. What my father did back then has nothing to do with this right now." Her mother looked back at her over her shoulder with a glare. "Your father is better than mine ever was!"

"He's doing the exact same thing!" Ananon exclaimed jumping to her feet. "Mom! Stop denying it! It's right in front of you! I don't want the past to repeat itself!"

"Shut up!" her mother snapped back.

They stared at one another in a long silence. Her mother stood firm as did Ananon. Neither backing down. The black cat stared at them with its big slitted eyes, its tail swishing back and fourth awaiting the breaking point for one of them. Her mother sighed once more resting against the glass.

"Damn it." She rubbed her temples with her eyes closed. "Fine. You have every point. It is right in front of me, I just don't want to acknowledge it all. Just tell me something before I say anything else."

"Shoot."

"What are you going to do with the village?" her mother asked wondering.

"Make a water tank soley for them. From there I'll have other things built up and added. I'll have the buildings repaired and manage the trades that come in and out. See how much they make off them." Ananon replied. "Their business is made from sales. If they aren't selling anything it decreases the profit margin by a portion. That portion affects the percentage in the short run but in the longrun it can also have its affects but just by a little."

Her mother sat down in her chair listening to her as if she had been studying business her whole life. She knew how to run the village without their help. Her idea was to expand the village to make room for more livestock and more produce. Their main selling items were the cows, chickens, and horses. The flowers and produce were just small helpings to the profit margin.

Green houses and watering systems, sod farms and water tanks. It was the main works for the farming industry that the village had going.

"That's the difference between you and your father. You can see potential in places that your father cannot."

Ananon smiled at her mom. "Is that a yes then?"

"The village is yours. I'll rewrite the contracts and take your fathers name off. The city will be your brothers. I'm giving your father one last fling before I divorce him."

Ananon stared at her mother in shock. "Divorce?"

"I've been fooling myself all these years, Ana. He was a good King and a real good father. Now it's gone to his head, all this power. You and your brother know better than to abuse such power. How it affects people in every way." She stared at the floor with sad distant eyes. "It's time to let him go. He wasn't meant for this place."

Of all things she wasn't expecting her parents to divorce. Sure, she and her brother could rule the city and the village together by exchanging ideas and helping one another out. What would their father do about this? He wasn't in the blood to go against mother's final judgements unlike her and Nain. I walked over to the elevator silently in thought. "I'll check in with you later tonight, mom."

"Ananon, before you go. You need to go to the stables below. Hinn is awaiting you there."

The elevator door opened to allow her brother and Dric off who both had ice cream. She pulled them out and got in. "Stay here, both of you."

The doors shut and she was taken down to the stables. This being the only elevator that went all the way down. Lights passed by illuminating the shaft all the way down. She sighed unable to believe the news that she had just been given. _I can't believe this. What have I done? Dad will be furious! He'll blame all of this on me and will try to do whatever it takes to get his title back!_

The elevator came to a stop as the doors opened for her to exit. Stepping out into the torchlight of the stables Hinn spotted her and strode over to her quickly. "You won't believe this! Look here."

Ananon was thrusted a newspaper into her hands by Hinn. She stared at the page until her eyes focused in the dim light. In bold letters it read: **Farmers Uplifted; New Charge!**

She looked up at Hinn who was beaming. "A few birdies went to the newspaper plant and had them print this out."

Ananon handed the paper back to him and sat down in a chair. "Is this all you wanted me for?"

"No. You are to race with Pride."

"What?" Ananon exclaimed jumping to her feet. "I'm to ride Pride?"

Hinn nodded. "He's ready to go. You just need to get suited up."

Ananon sank onto the chair. "I don't have a suit nor do I know how to race!"

"Your father must have a reason for this then."

Ananon looked up to see Dric stepping out of the elevator with her suit drapped over his shoulder. He stopped in front of her and held out a black and milk blue suit. She took it seeing what her number was. One.

"You were right. He is up to something." Dric said leaning on the wall next to her. "I guess showing up when I did this morning was a good idea."

"Has Pride been warmed up?" Ananon asked getting to her feet and taking the suit.

"No. You need to go walk him. You have twenty minutes to warm up." Hinn replied walking towards the stable. "Dric, come help me."

"Right." Dric winked at Ananon as he walked away. "Good luck, my Lady."

Ananon changed as they talked in Pride's stable. She walked in with the suit on and her goggles on her forehead. "Lets go, Pride. We got a race to run."

The black Pegasus snorted at her whipping its tail behind him. She took his halter and pulled him out of the stable towards the walking area. She walked him around and around to get some exercise herself before hooking him up to the horse lead and had him walking himself around the pin. As much as she had learned from Hinn it was how to get a horse warmed up before riding.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a voice boomed out over the stadium. "The race will begin in five minutes! Get your food and drinks, place your last bets, and take your seats. You will not want to miss this race! King Hatos and Princess Ananon will be racing today! Pride versus Spirit! Who will win?"

Ananon looked at Pride who was listening to the announcement like she was. "You're going up against your brother then? The other black Pegasus with the white diamond shape on its chest?"

Pride snorted walking the ring once more. Hinn walked over and undid the halter from the lead. "Come on. We need to line up now."

As Hinn led Pride away Ananon saw a rivalry between the two brothers. Horses weren't stupid like her father thought. They had their own battles just like Minecraftians did. As Hinn led Pride Ananon clambered up in the saddle as he was walking, checking the stirrups and the bridal. Everything seemed to be at the right length and height.

She had never been in a race nor raced a horse in anything. She only knew how to ride. Pride seemed to be fired up but Ananon was nervous. Dric nudged her leg as he kept pace with the horse.

"Why do you look like that? You forget why you came here?"

She shook her head at him. "I'm uneasy. I've never done something like this before!"

"you remember when you raced off to get to your parents to check on them after the storm?" Hinn asked looking over his shoulder at her.

Ananon nodded.

"Do you remember how you raced to me with Pride here to save my life in the burning barn?"

She nodded again.

"You shouldn't be nervous." He said with a smile. "You have the drive to finish what you start and to carry on if you aren't sure. Don't ever look back. Always run forward. Pride does, don't you boy?"

Pride nickered nipping Hinn. The announcer boomed over head to the crowd.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen! The jockies are making their way down the channel now to get in the starting gate!"

As Hinn rounded the corner from their stable she saw many of the riders had come from over seas. _So that's what that ship was carrying. The horses and their jockies!_

They all looked up to see her sitting upon the black Pegasus Pride. A few of them snickered to one another while others just turned around to line up. A black Pegasus stepped out from a side stable further down making its way to the front. Her father sitting up on its back. "Good luck, dear! You'll need it!"

Her hands gripped the reigns tightly as she led Pride to the front. As she passed she nodded her head to her father. "Thank you. Same goes for you."

Pride took the lead as the lead horse trotted up to them and had them follow him to the starting gate. As they trotted out of the stables and down the channel people applauded and cheered to them.

"Go, Ananon!"

"The King beats all!"

"This isn't damn chess!"

"Go, Princess!"

"Pride! Pride! Pride!"

"The ghost will phase through them all!"

Pride began cantering behind the lead horse. Handlers grabbed his bridal and steered him into the first stock and shut the gate behind him, cornering Ananon in the box. Ananon took deep breaths trying to calm herself while gates shut and horses moved about looking around wildly, biting their bits. She looked over to her father who was in the next stock to hers, sparks flying as their eyes made contact.

"You won't win this race, Ana. Stay behind."

"I'm not going to give up just yet," she replied sticking her nose up slightly. "It isn't like me to give up without fighting."

Her father narrowed his eyes. "If you win you get the village. If I win I get the village and you shut your trap about everything I've been doing!"

Ananon smiled back at him. "Sure. I'll agree on that. Plus, let me add Spirit on the list. I want him if I win. Just so you know, telling me to agree with you on this just made me want to win that much more. Pride and I are going to do just that."

"Bullshit," he sneered. "You'll both be eating our dirt! Pride will remain being mine."

Pride snorted pawing the dirt below him. His eyes staring straight ahead through the iron bars. His brother Spirit looking over to him and back at the track ahead of him. He whinned deeply throwing his head up in anticipation.

Everything got silent in the stands. All that could be heard was the shuffling of the horses, their snorting and whinnies. Ananon tightened her grip on the reigns as she saw her father lean over almost putting his face in the horses mane. She followed suit shortening her grip on the reigns. "Be ready, Pride. We're going to be in for one hell of a ride."

Pride flicked his tail as his ears swiveled forward, ready to go.

The gun went off and the gates opened. The horses cried out leaping out in large strides, dirt flying up as they took off down the track. The crowd went up in an uproar of cheering and yells as the horses battled it out for placement.

"**They're out of the gate at the start and it's Pride and Spirit neck and neck in the front, Red Dipper on the inside behind Pride with Lightening Gale on the side. Followed by SwiftCliff, EagleBay, and ChimpingChamp! TartBart is lagging behind with Champaining taking the rear!**"

The horses charged down the lane with heavy galloping and snorting approaching their first turn. The crowd jeered more loudly now as the race was getting interesting.

"**Pride is being over taken by Spirit on the outside. Both being pushed by Lightening Gale and Red Dipper, Pride doesn't seem phased by the pressure! SwiftCliff over taking Lightening Gale as ChimpingChamp is moving on the outside to pass EagleBay! Champaining is slowly gaining on TartBart as TartBart is gaining on ChimpingChamp!**"

The ground rumbled as the steeds pounded around the turn driving headlong to the next straight. Spirit took the advantage and made the move to pass Pride around the turn.

"**Spirit passed Pride in the turn and is half a horse ahead of him and the pack! Pride still unphased by the move and the pressure from behind! Lightening Gale eager to take Spirit's place is blocking Red Dipper's bold move! SwiftCliff still head to head with LighteningGale! It's an absolute gridlock in the back as EagleBay is pushed to the inside by Chimpingchamp, TartBart is starting to slow a bit down and is head to head with Champaining!**"

The horses nicked and bit at one another in the back as the riders jostled and bumped one another. The crowd jeered stomping in the stands and screaming to the horses they wanted to win. Dric had gone back to the skybox to sit with Ananon's mother and was sitting in the chair with binoculars to his face watching the horses. "Go, Ananon! Spirit isn't good with long distances! Over take him!"

Ananon's mother sat there with her own binoculars watching while her other hand stroked the black cat. "Pride isn't much different than his brother. Just watch."

"They can't be neck and neck at the finish line though!" exclaimed Dric. "That'd be crazy!"

"Difference is between them is their drive." Grinned Ananon's mother.

Dric looked over his binoculars at her wondering what she was thinking. Looking back through the lens at Ananon he saw what she was talking about. "Pride fits along with Ananon perfectly."

"Which is why this will be an interesting race."

"**And Spirit keeping the lead as they're about to reach their last turn! Pride is still two horses behind his brother with LighteningGale pushing Pride on the right side! SwiftCliff overtook LighteningGale now and is heading for Spirit! Red Dipper giving Pride pressure from behind, ChimpingChamp pushing on Red Dipper from the outside forcing him to run against the guardrail! EagleBay giving Red dipper hell from behind as EagleBay is really flanking Red dipper, TartBart finally catching up to EagleBay and Champaining is taking the rear!**"

Ananon pulled herself up from the saddle slightly. "Come on, Pride! These guys are really depressing!"

Pride whinnied and began to pull away from them as his gallops quickened.

"**Pride pulling away from the group now! Pride passing SwiftCliff and gaining on Spirit! The back unchanging as Pride makes his move! The last turn coming up fast, Pride steadily gaining on Spirit, completely passed SwiftCliff now, SwiftCliff holding his own ahead of the pack! Red Dipper and Chimpingchamp battling it out as ChimpingChamp is slowly pulling away from Red Dipper, trying to get SwiftCliff. EagleBay and TartBart locked, blocking Champaining from gaining!**"

The cheers increased further as the horses pounded with heavy snorting as they went around the final turn. Spirit running with Pride getting neck and neck with him as they made the turn. Both brothers galloping next to one another, their chests heaving, eyes locked on the finish line that was not far away.

"**Pride and Spirit neck and neck now around the turn! The two pulling away farther from the pack with every passing second! The finish line is in their view now! Total dead lock in the back! Oh my Notch! Pride pulling away from Spirit! Pride moving past Spirit now, a horse length away! What speed!**"

Dric and Ananon's mother leapt ot their feet screaming at the top of their lungs. The black cat yowled shooting away from the screaming.

"Ananon! Go! Go! Go, Ananon! Run!"

_That's right. Let's show them all what we can do that they've failed to see. Failed to grasp. Eat dirt, father._ "Go, Pride, go!"

The horses charged across the finish line.

"**A big gap between Pride and Spirit. An even bigger gap between Spirit and the pack! The judges will now decide the winner!**"

The crowd went into uproars at the race talking animatedly to one another. Dric and Ananon's mother had their faces pressed against the glass in anticipation. "It was so Ananon's!"

"I know! She dominated Spirit!"

"Pride was glorious!"

"You see his move at that turn? I didn't believe it!"

"**The winner is…!**" the announcer boomed over the speakers.

The whole crowd was silent waiting for the winner. It was a very close race between Spirit and Pride no doubt about that. Had one of them made a wrong move during the race somewhere?

"**Pride!**" boomed the announcer.

The crowd cheered as the whole stadium was shaken by the crowd. Ananon couldn't believe it as she stared up at the stands. Pride prancing in place for the crowd. Ananon sighed deeply, the air she had been holding around the last turn.

Ananon's mother and Dric jumped up and down screaming into one another's face. "She won! She won! Ananon won!"

Hinn strode out on the track to grab Pride's bridal. He grinned up at Ananon and shook her leg. "Good job! That was quite the race!"

She laughed smiled back and looked up at the crowd, waving to them. "Pride's mine, by the way. Our bet was Pride and the village was to be mine if I won."

Hinn gaped at her. "What? You..!"

"Smile for the pictures, Hinn!" called out a reporter who had camera's behind him.

Hinn spun around beaming like Ananon. Pride posing for the picture. A million flashing lights flashed for them. Everywhere they turned a sea of lights met them.

_Dad, was this how you felt when you won every race? Was this how you felt when the horse ran its hardest under its riders command? When you won the treasures?_ Ananon stared out over the bobbing sea of reporters. Past the crowd that jeered for them. She watched her father sit atop of Spirit watching her before turning the horse around and walking into the channel.


	16. Chapter 16 Damned from the Beginning

Ch.16 Damned from the Beginning

Ananon's Life Part 3

It's been Several months now since the race had been held and Ananon had taken control over the village plus taken Pride from her father. A month after taking over the village her father and mother got their divorce. Of course a huge fight ensued between them. That was to be expected. Lyrena allowed Hatos to take his winnings and things that he had obtained here and there.

He took them all, as to be expected. It's been a few months since then and no one had heard nor seen Hatos. One day while riding from the village to the city on Pride, her friends Dric and Hinn riding next to her on other horses that Ananon had gotten from trade. Leaving the glass tunnel they came to the busy intersection. To the left was the docks, forward was the park and the markets, to the right was to the city.

"Let's head to the docks. I want to check things out there," Ananon said turning Pride towards the traveling path.

The other two didn't mind and went along with her. Pride leapt unfolding his wings and took off into the air. The other two, riding pegasus's followed her one after another. In a line they flew over the Minecraftian's heads casting shadows below them. Birds from the park flying next to them enjoying the ocean's breeze.

Pride nickered and snorted falling into a gradual dive to the docks. Ananon chuckled as she held onto the horse's mane. Several gallops later she was on the docks with Pride and the others. Ananon recognized a man standing at the end of the dock talking with another man as the ship was unloading a huge black rectangular object off its deck. The man that was talking to the ship's owner looked very familiar.

_It's father._

Ananon maneuvered Pride and the others behind a great fishing net laden down with fish from that mornings catch.

"What are we doing?" whispered Dric.

"Father's doing something." Ananon replied back looking past the fishing net. "I want to know what that object is that they just unloaded."

"I've never seen such a thing before. Have you Dric?" Hinn asked the young man who shook his head.

"Nothing. It's new to me as well."

Ananon slid off Pride and told them to wait. She snuck off onto the dock hiding behind boxes and crates getting closer to her father and the ship owner.

"Lord Hatos, are you sure you want to buy this? It's quite dangerous." The ship owner warned. His whole body was covered from head to toe in heavy clothing. All black.

Hatos nodded. "It's exactly what I want. There's something I want to go find."

The ship owners red eyes narrowed wondering what he could be after. "If you find anything, contact me. I want to see it as well."

Hatos nodded. "I will. Have a safe return, Lord Dom."

The man that Hatos had called Dom nodded briefly and boarded his ship once more. Looking over the side of the boat as the crane on the dock had just placed it on the unloading zone. The crane beeped at the ship saying it was safely unloaded. The anchors went up and the boat began pulling away from the dock slowly, the boards creaking as the waves sent it on its way. Hatos walked over to the odd looking black stoned rectangle and grinned. "Now the legends are to be tested."

Ananon's eyes narrowed as she wondered what he was talking about. What legends? She sat behind large crates as her father examined what he had just bought. She felt like it was time to head to the library. Maybe she could find clues on these things? She slipped away without being noticed and had them take flight back to the village.

As the horses were settled in their pastures and the tack was put away Ananon sat on a hay bale thinking.

"Ok, you've been thinking hard ever since we returned from the dock. What's up?" Dric asked crouching in front of her.

She met his eyes and got to her feet. "Take me to the library. We're going to be looking in the rare section. The section that only my mother is allowed to go in."

"If we're going there why not just ask your mom whatever you need to ask? You know the librarians…" he trailed off standing and putting his hands in his pockets. "They are so snooty."

Ananon smiled at him. "They're like that for a reason."

He watched her walk past him off towards his Jeep. "How would you know that?"

"I'll tell you when you're man enough." She replied over her shoulder.

He caught up to her in a few short strides, bending over slightly to her level. "What were you implying by that?"

Of course it would be natural for him to not pay attention where he was going. She watched him run smack into the side of the Jeep and fall backwards clutching the side of his head. "Heads up, Jeep is there."

"Little smart ass," he grumbled up at her with a closed eye. "Could've warned me sooner."

"Where's the fun in that?" she asked with a grin and climbed into the passenger seat.

"I swear she's becoming like her dad in a few ways," he muttered to himself getting up and climbing into the driver's side.

The Jeep cranked up and sped off through the tunnel towards the city where the library was nestled.

"What are we going to do to get past the librarians?" Dric asked but was not answered. "Ana, you do have a plan right?"

She only smiled at him and looked away. "You'll see."

The Jeep came to a stop outside the library on the side of the road. Ananon took one of Dric's unholy books that adults are supposed to only have and handed it to him. "You can read that while I'm dealing with the librarians."

He took the book and stared at her with curiosity. "Ok. Why am I going to be reading something like this in a public place such as the library?"

It suddenly dawned on him and he threw the book in the back. "Absolutely not! Ana!"

Her face jabbed into his. "You've got to do this, Dric. You've got to be my diversion! If you don't how else am I to get the pass key to that damned room?"

He gritted his teeth at her. "I use the library to study though. Why are you going to fuck up my schooling for your fathers shit?"

"Dric, You can study at my building. We have every book that's in the library." Ananon replied and slipped out of the Jeep.

"No wonder you don't hang out." He muttered and sighed running a hand through his black hair. "Damn it all! The shit I go through for her!"

He grabbed the book from the back and jumped out of the Jeep, running up the steps after her. "I can't believe I'm doing this! Of all crazy schemes she chooses the most fucked up one!"

"I can here you," she says in front of him as she reaches the top of the stairs. "Don't think I won't beat you senseless when we get out of here, Dric."

"What exactly are you going to do?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.

She ignored him and went into the library. She immediately strode off to the back where the mystery books were located and began browsing. A little bit later in walked Dric with the book under his arm looking casual, striding over to the fiction section. After a few moments Ananon came up to the desk and bent over to whisper to them. "There's a guy in the fiction that's got an adult rated book and is putting pages in other books."

The librarians gasped and stood up. "Thank you, young lady! We'll handle this matter!"

They strode away from the desk briskly into the fiction section. While they were away Ananon leapt over the desk and went through the drawers and found the key to the restricted section. She leapt over the front desk once more and took off into the dark corner at the back where the key told where the button on the wall was. No one could've known there was a button that looked exactly like the stone itself. She slipped through the iron door and heard it clunk behind her.

_Hope they didn't hear that. Now to find what dad was talking about._

She went from row to row looking for whatever she could on the odd looking rectangular thing that her father had bought. There was nothing there that told anything about it. She punched the wall out of frustration. "Damn it! It has got to be in the restricted area!"

"Whatever you're seeking it might be in the book that went missing a month ago."

Ananon spun around to the voice to see one of the librarians standing there looking at her. Ananon gasped.

"It's ok,Princess. Your mother has informed us that you might be stopping by here to get information. You might also need access to this room. All you must do is ask."

Ananon sighed leaning on the end of a bookshelf and sighed. "I'm sorry."

The librarian waved her hand. "It's ok. No harm no foul. So, what were you looking for?"

Ananon described the object that she had seen and what had gone down at the docks. The librarian pondered this for a moment. "That would have been in The Creator's Creations; Book two."

Ananon perked up at that. "Where is that?"

"It went missing a month or so ago." The librarian replied. "I'm sorry."

She looked away and narrowed her eyes. "I'll bet you he has it somewhere."

Ananon briskly walked up to the front desk where the other librarians were at talking to Dric, having him fill out paperwork on his bad behavior. She grabbed his shirt by the front and hauled him over the front counter. "Come on. We've got someone to find."

The librarians stood there calling out to her. Ananon ignored them and dropped Dric at the bottom of the steps. "Drive."

Dric stood up brushing himself off. The librarians came out and yelled at them from the top of the stairs. Dric leapt across the hood of the jeep and got into the driver's seat. Cranking it up the jeep sped away making a U-Turn and striking off towards Ananon's family's tower. The jeep slid to a stop in front of the tower where Ananon stepped out and stared up at the top of the building with the sun glaring down at her from above.

_Please have the information I seek, mom._

She began walking through the doors and stepped onto the elevator that a man held for her. Dric came in too late and saw the elevator begin its journey to the top of the tower with Ananon on it.

"Stay there." She ordered before disappearing heading upwards behind the wall.

Dric sighed and collapsed into a chair. "I hate my luck sometimes."

The elevator door opened for Ananon to step out into the front room of the office. The doors opened allowing a secretary to leave. She stopped and nodded her head to Ananon before going on her way. Ananon strode in the room and stood there staring at her mom behind the desk as the door clicked shut.

"Ananon," her mother said not looking up. "Having a productful day at the village?"

Ananon strode forward until she was two steps from the desk before stopping. "You know there's a book at the library in the restricted section missing?"

"I hear you and Pride went about to the docks. How is it down there?" her mom asked writing on a piece of paper like she didn't hear her.

"The Creator's Creations: Book two is missing from the restricted section." Ananon stared hard at her mother's head. "Where is it?"

Her mother pointed to a stack of paper at the end of the desk. "Can you get me another sheet. I'm about to run out of space."

Ananon slammed her fists on the desk making her mother rise up just a hair.

"He has the book, doesn't he?"

Her mother sighed removing her glass and placing them on the desk. She looked up into her daughters face with tired eyes that had slight bags underneath. "Yes. He has the book. Why?"

"He's still going by his title as Lord, King and whatever else he used to use. He has not told the other lords that he's not in power any longer!" Ananon spat. "You haven't sent out notification letters yet, have you?"

Her mother flinched and sat back rubbing her eyes with her left hand. "Ana…"

"No! Don't Ana me!" she snapped. "You know how much dad spent down at the docks just now?"

Her mother raised her brows at her. "What? Bought something?"

Ananon stared at her mother and face palmed herself. "How is it that I know more about what happens in the city and such than you?"

Ananon explained to her mom what all she saw and what she had dug up in the library on the missing book. Her mother placed her chin on her interlocked fingers that were propped up on the desk listening to her. Ananon sighed at the end of the story and sat on the couch on the side of the room. She watched her mom spin her chair around to face the newly built glass window that went seven blocks high.

"Ana, head down to a building at the end of Velvet Blaze road. Your father is living there."

Ana cocked her head at her mom. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Her mother turned to her with seriousness about her. "He has obtained a portal to Hell. Only fools would travel there. Plus he owes me pay on you and your brother. Go!"

Ananon got to her feet. "So, it's called an Obsidian Portal?"

"Yes. Very dangerous it is because once opened things can leak out into this world." Her mother rose to her feet looking grim. "Whatever happens, don't let him open that portal!"

Ananon stepped off the elevator biting her fingernails when Dric saw her. "What's up?"

He stood walking towards her. "Ananon?"

"Father has an Obsidian Portal. It's what we saw on the dock."

He froze then. "What? An O-Obsidian P-Portal?"

She nodded looking up at him with dread. "From what I've been told by mom it isn't anything good."

Dric stumbled backwards and collapsed onto the couch. His eyes stared wide at the floor where his faint reflection stared back at him on the floor. "Ananon…That thing is the most dangerous item there is in Minecraft! Your mom is right about it. There are these creature's called Ghasts that live there."

"I thought you didn't know anything about this portal or what it was?"

He flinched and put his head between his knees of his lap. "I do but I didn't want to believe what I was seeing then!"

She strode over to him and knelt in front of him. "Dric, what my dad has can't be here any longer. He could unleash Ghasts on the village and the city and only Notch knows what will happen to them all if that happens!"

Dric started shaking and sobbing. "I do! I know exactly what will happen to everyone!"

"Dric." Ananon whispered. "What will happen?"

His head rose up so their eyes locked. "Possession. Every single person will be possessed. Flames, oh Notch, the flames that rage up!"

He grasped his head whimpering. "I don't want to see that dream anymore! No more!"

Ananon rose up slowly and placed her hand on his head. "You're older than me and already know the future outcome for the city and the inhabitants. It's all because of my family. I'm sorry."

He wept into his lap as she strode out of the tower.

"I'll do this myself. It's going to be me who has to stop this anyways."

She climbed into the Jeep and cranked it up. Shifting the gears she floored it and squealed away towards the place her mother told her to go. _No one will suffer any more from his mistakes! I'll see to that!_

The Jeep slid to a stop outside the building that she was told about. Looking up at it chills went down her spine. Her gut clenched at an odd feeling that crept over her. Slipping out of the Jeep she strode into the building taking the elevator up. He was either here or not.

Something inside of her knew he was there in the building. _Father…_

The elevator doors opened allowing her to step out. Her father was there sitting at his desk looking at something. His eyes slowly looked up to her. "If it isn't my dear daughter who took everything from me. What do you want?"

"Don't blame me for your fall out, father. You dug your own grave." She said stepping from the elevator." Who was that man at the docks?"

"A Lord from a far." He replied quietly. "He made me this portal for being such a valued customer."

"Such bullshit!" she spat." That thing was sold to you. Not given! Mother is highly upset that you bought something like this!"

"She knows?" he asked with his eyes narrowed. "You told her I assume?"

"Damn right!" she growled. "I'm set on putting your evil deeds in the ground where they belong! No one needs to be corrupted by them!"

"Such an annoying little pest of a daughter I have." He muttered. "Why are you here really?"

"Tell me about that Lord from a far. Why would he want you to tell him what you found there?"

Her father cocked his head at her. "I don't know. Maybe there's something valuable there?"

"It's got to be a trap, father." She said taking a step forward. "I don't like the looks of him."

"Because you don't know him." He said icily. "I don't like the people in the village or in the city that you hang out with."

"You don't know them," she retorted. "I don't use them like you do. We help one another out."

"You're wasting my damn time, child! Why are you here?"

"I'm here on business. The business that could harm the city and its inhabitants from what you have bought."

He glared at her standing up. "You nosy child! Get lost! I can get what I want!"

"Not something that can leak evil through the lands!" she spat back. "Destroy it or I will!"

"It will not be destroyed!" he barked coming from behind his desk. "It is the monument of historical venturing from the past adventurers! They all strive to find such an artifact when the knowledge of how to obtain one is in one book."

"The artisans who made the book and the ones who manufacture the portal are two different people!" Ananon growled. "What you have is either real or fake."

"It's real." He said quietly turning his head towards the Obsidian Portal that stood tall on the side of the room. "I know how to activate it too."

"You're not activating anything!" she snapped stepping towards him.

"I will do asI please because I'm your father and King!" he roared advancing on the portal.

She sprang from where she was to stop him as she saw the lighter. The two clashed with one another just a block away from the rectangular object. Her father, lighter in hand, reached out to light the obsidian on fire while Ananon pushed him back with all her might. "I'm not going to let you bring Hell upon these lands! You understand me, father? I will not let this happen!"

"It's the destiny of this hell bent place!" he yelled out using all his weight against her. "Get out of my way, daughter! Hell's Throne is mine!"

He tossed the lighter over her at the portal. She gasped letting him go and spinning around. "No!"

Her hand reached out to grab it as she took a step before leaping after it. Her father reached out for her waist to grab her back. "Ananon, no!"

_Tink!_ The sound of the lighter hitting the side of the portal. Her hand grabbed for it but missed. The lighter fell down to the bottom of the portal, a faint flame being jostled by the wind. She was pushed by her father through the mouth of the portal and into the wall. _Tink,Tink._ Was the lighter hitting the bottom of the portal on a corner and leaping up to turn in midair and hit the portal on another corner. A flame jumped from the lighter and hit the obsidian. _Fwoosh!_

Ananon looked over her shoulder pushing away from the wall to race the flaming purple wall that was rising up to form the gate of the portal. She leapt through the claring above the rising flames to push back her father. "No! You won't go!"

He grabbed her by the front and flung her away. The flames adhering to the top of the portal making a swirling gate that made hellish voices and sounds. Ananon clawed down his arm and gripping his wrist to stop being thrown away.

"Bastard! I said I wouldn't let you and I meant it!"

Her father and her battled with one another; one forcing her away while the other forcing him to not go. Dric arrived just in time to see Ananon and her father having a great struggle with one another just a step away from the portal. "Ananon!"

He rushed in grabbing her. That extra weight was enough to throw Ananon's father off balance and into the portal where they were all sucked up.

"Father!" Ananon yelled.

"Ananon!" yelled Dric.

All three landed on top of one another onto a solid stone platform. Her father climbed out from underneath them and crawled away. Dric opened his eyes to see Ananon's father walking away across the red ground. Above them came cries of something that wasn't human. Dric peered up and saw huge white creatures flying about with angry faces.

"No. No! No!" he screamed out attracting their attention.

Ananon awoke to see Dric grabbing her up and sprinting away from fireballs that were coming down around them. "Dric!"

He flinched and leapt behind a wall that hid them from view. The Ghasts moaned and cried flying about trying to find them. She peeked out from around the wall to get a better look at them and gasped. "Are those Ghasts?"

Dric nodded. "They are great demons within ghost forms. They have offspring that are smaller and look different."

Her eyes looked around her and saw a huge cavern that stretched out around her with waterfalls of lava falling from the ceiling down to a great lava ocean below. Caves could be seen in the walls and in the distance as the cavern they were in snaked away. The lava bubbled and churned with hissing sounds. She shrank back into their small hiding place. "How do we get back home?"

"Go back through the portal." He replied.

"Ananon!" cried out a voice that echoed throughout the cavern. "Ananon, my dear daughter! You have failed them all!"

Ananon sprang from the hiding place looking around for the voice. The Ghasts cried out flying towards the source of the voice.

"Ananon, watch me!" the voice cried out. "I'm going to be all the more powerful than your mother! Then she won't be able to boss me around nor disobey me!"

Ananon spotted her father as he raced up a hillside. "Father! Stop!"

Dric scrambled from behind the wall to see her race off. "No! Stop, Ananon!"

The Ghasts spat fire balls down around her blowing up the ground making her stumble as she went. A fireball exploded right at her heels making her fly up and tumbled across the sharp rocks. She rolled to a stop before pushing herself up and continuing running after her father. Her father stopped on a cliff that over looked the lava ocean below. He grinned down at her and reared his head up at a Ghast that was hovering above him.

"Take me unto you! Take me and have the ability to rule over all that have followed me!"

The Ghast stared down at him as it lowered slowly. "_Minecraftian. Is it truly what you seek from us?"_

"You know of the Throne," he retorted. "It's what I seek!"

The Ghast narrowed its eyes as its mouth grinned evilly. "_So be it then_."

Ananon's father opened his arms wide with a smile on his face as the Ghast dove into his body. Ananon froze staring up at them. "Father, no!"

A bright light enveloped everything in the cavern. The Ghasts cried out being wiped away by the power. Strong sheer winds whirled around the cavern making some of the cavern crumble and fall. Ananon shielded her eyes and felt the ceiling falling around her.

"Ananon!" Dric cried out blindly. "Ananon!"

Ananon lifted her head over her protective arms staring through the light at a figure that had been transformed. The form turned its head towards her, its red eyes glowing brightly through the bright light as its transformation still proceeded. _Father…!_

"_The future of Minecraft has been chosen. Minecraftian's will bow to the new Lord and give their lives to our brethren to create a whole new world and life style!"_

Ananon gaped at him as the light began fading at last. Her father was no more but a skeletal figure who stood high with a red tattered cloak whipping behind him that had a hood over his face, hiding its skull from her. A rod that was made from bone and whatever else materialized in his right skeletal hand.

"Ananon!" screamed Dric as he saw Ghasts materializing above them and shooting down a hail of fireballs.

Ananon looked up then to see the fireballs closing in on her. The skeletal figured appeared wiping out the fireballs in one wave from the rod. She took the chance and sprinted for the portal.

"Dric, go!"

Dric scrambled down the ledge towards the portal as she instructed. He dove through the gateway to the other side. Ananon paused before going back. She turned back to her father with one last gaze that they held before she leapt through the gateway and disappeared. She and Dric landed in a heap on the other side gasping.

"Dric!"

"Ana!"

"You ok?" they asked one another at once and nodded to answer each other's question.

Ananon dragged herself off him and flopped onto her back staring at the ceiling. "Damn him! I was too late!"

A skeletal hand came through the portal. They gasped as the hand was connected to an arm and then the shoulder; her father was coming through! They sprang away from the portal and watched him stand where they had just been. He grinned at them.

_"We meet again."_

"Go back!" Ananon barked.

The skeletal figure shook its head._ "Can't do that. I already promised that Hell could take over Minecraft."_

"Bastard! How could you promise such a thing?" she screamed at him getting to her feet. "You are not my father that I once knew!"

The skeletal figure chuckled making his robes shake. "_Funny child I raised. Now, stay put the both of you. I have a meeting with my ex-wife."_

Ananon was about to protest when she and Dric were tied up and thrown into a far wall. The figure broke the glass window and flew out over the city. Ananon struggled to get free but finally gave up. There was a sound that made Ananon look over her shoulder at Dric.

"Don't worry, I'll get us free," he muttered cutting the bindings that were dead vines. He held a small shard of glass that had fallen near him.

Ananon laid there waiting. In her mind she began thinking of a plan to stop her father. "I've hardly done anything right."

"That's not true. You've done everything I would've," Dric replied as a vine snapped apart. "Look, there will come a time when someone will defend us from the evil. Right now, it's you. In the future there will be someone greater though. Someone that will exceed your father and all the rest."

Ananon looked over her shoulder at him.

"We're relying on you at the moment, Ana. We'll come together and help you stop him!"

The vines snapped apart letting Dric move freely. He worked quickly on Ananon's vines. Every minute wasted was a minute he got closer to her mother.

"Have we received word from Ananon?"

"No, ma'am. Nothing yet."

Ananon's mother sighed staring out the window at the city below. _Ananon…_

"_Aren't you a lucky bitch?"_

Ananon's mother spun around to see a figure in tattered clothing and skeletal parts. "Who are you?"

The skeletal figure chuckled. _"Hatos ring a bell?"_

"Hatos!" hissed Lyrena. "I thought you'd do something like this."

"_And yet you still couldn't stop me from doing such a thing?_" he purred striding towards her.

Lyrena glared at him. "Where's our daughter at?"

"_Sitting tight somewhere while we talk_." He replied. "_I have a proposition for you. Will you hear me out?_"

There was silence between Ananon and Dric while she sat on the floor wrapping the vines up to reuse again if possible. Dric sat against the wall staring at the ceiling.

"Well? You're going to kill him?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Somehow. It'll hit me."

"Not much of a plan."

"Like I got a choice right now!" she snapped and stopped what she was doing.

Dric stood stretching. "You'll figure something out."

A whinny cried out and Pride soared into the room through the oversized broken window to touch down. Ananon got to her feet smiling. "Pride!"

A second horse glided in and also landed. Hinn on its back.

"Yo!"

"Hinn," exclaimed Dric. "What are you doing here?"

"Pride here wouldn't be calm so I decided to let him come see how Ana was doing."

Pride nickered nuzzling against Ananon. "I'm glad you came, the both of you. I need your help to stop my dad."

She told them what all happened. Hinn braced himself against the white Pegasus. "Oh dear!"

Ananon mounted Pride and turned him towards the shattered window. "I got to go face him before something happens to mom. Dric, you know what to do from here on. Right?"

Dric nodded. Pride galloped out of the room and leapt out the window. His wings spread out and allowed him to glide off on the wind. Soon the Pegasus soared past the great window that was the face of her mom's office. Pride dove to the entrance and pulled out of the dive swiftly to gallop into the building and head into the elevator.

_Please, Notch! Let mom be ok!_ She prayed inside her head as Pride stepped into the elevator and was taken up to the top. The elevator dinged and allowed them off. Pride stepped off the elevator slowly, carefully stepping into the office. Ananon looked about the room for her mom and brother. "Hello?"

_"Good evening, daughter_. _I see you got away."_ A deep hissing voice replied from the dark corner of the room where a pile of ashes lay.

"Where's mom? What did you do to her?" she asked walking into the room.

Her mother's desk was no longer there but its charred remains lay there in piles. The black office chair that her father had made out of wool turned around to face her. Her father's hood rose as if to look at her. He stood with grace and strode step by step towards her. "_Daughter. It has come! The revelation for the Ravendon's! All of my work in the city will be glorified!"_

"What are you talking about?" she asked taking a step back, her left shoulder rubbing on Pride's right side. "It's a bit too late for planning this sort of thing, dad. You're not a Minecraftian anylonger."

"_I don't have to be a Minecraftian to do something like this_," he replied. "_I was possessed by a Great Ghost! I can make anything and everything mine! Your mother just couldn't stand that_."

"What the fuck are you talking about? If you hurt mom I'm going to kill you!" she snapped at him.

"_That storm that hit made me want power like it had. Power is what I want more than anything so that all will see how great I am!_" He hissed. "_Since you're so determined to stop me I guess I'll let you in on my ambition. What do you say? Or do you still want to kill me?_"

"Where's mom?" Ananon asked.

"_Stop worrying about that wench, daughter. You can be even more powerful than her! Come with me and let's rule together_." Her father rose from his seat striding towards her. "_You and Pride will be rulers of the underworld with me. My greatest enemy can be my best friend_."

"Fuck off!" she snapped. "How dare you ask me this when you know where my heart lies! Mother stood up for what she believed in! I will do the same! You are in the wrong and always will be until I strike you down!"

"_When will that be, hmm?_" he asked chuckling.

"When you see me come to Hell for your head." She replied taking the vines from her shoulder. "For now, go back to Hell where you belong!"

Her father laughed. Pride sprang from where he was and blew fire at him. Hatos leapt away and landed near the window. He looked at his robe to see it had been singed. "_Fucking horse!"_

Pride nickered whipping his tail side to side and stood tall. Ananon grinned.

"Afraid of fire?"

"_These are nice robes, I don't want them burnt!_" he hissed. "_I knew I should've taken that horse far away from here._"

"Too bad." She grinned. "He now protects me."

"Sister!" Nain cried out coming from the steps. "Who's that?"

"Father has gone to the dark side, brother. Stand back!" ordered Ananon.

"What?" Nain exclaimed not believeing it. "How?"

"Possession."

Nain gasped going into shock. Hatos looked from Ananon to Nain.

"_Such an atmosphere. What's with all the hate?"_

"Ana!" cried out Dric from outside.

Ananon looked past her father to see Dric holding something in his hand. Dric through it past Hatos to Ananon. Ananon caught it and stared at the rod. "What is this?"

"It's called a Bam Stick! Smack him with it!" Dric yelled out.

Hatos flung his own rod at Dric who was sent flying away with the Pegasus. "_Silence, brat! She doesn't need your help!_"

Hatos suddenly felt himself get hit in the back. He gasped as a huge explosion took place. Ananon cried out as she and her father were sent flying apart.

"Ana!" Nain cried out croutching on the floor.

Ananon got to her feet grasping the rod in her hands. "I won't fall so easily from my own attack. Stay there, Nain."

Laughing could be heard within the dust and rubble. The floor began to shift and break apart as a skeletal hand broke through the rubble. The rest of the body followed and stood within the dust.

"_That hurt you know? Daughter, how could you hurt your father like that?"_

Ananon narrowed her eyes. "You were once my father but you are no more! I told you that!"

Hatos chuckled turning to her. Ana could see his skeletal form was now taken out in two places but still moving about. "_You're no better than your mother. At least you actually landed a blow to me."_

Ananon's eyes widened. She ground her teeth and sprang at him. "You bastard! She loved you!"

"_Did is the word to focus on,"_ her father said and met her in mid-advance. "_She used me to make heirs for her lineage."_

Ananon yelled out attacking her father with the rod and causing huge explosions that began to destroy the building. Nain and Pride leapt out of the gaping hole that used to be the window but wasn't anything of the sort. Ananon and her father dropped from one floor to the next as the building was destroyed by the Boom stick. Ananon landed on the thirteenth floor panting. Her father floated down with only some of his spine, left arm, partial of a skull and almost none of a cloak left.

"_What's the matter? Getting tired?"_

She pointed the rod at him panting. "You're not going to touch these people! I won't stop until you're gone!"

"Now!" shouted a voice making Ananon and her father turn to see an Obsidian Portal get thrown through the air, through the great glass window behind her father and fall forward taking her father through the portal, transporting him back to Hell.

A group of miners came through the window by rope and began to destroy the Obsidian Portal with diamond picks. Ananon fell to her knees completely exhausted. The rod rolled from her grasp and stopped a block away.

"I got them here in time." A voice said over her.

Ananon looked up to see Dric standing there looking relieved. "You saved me."

"No, you saved us from a future that would've ruined all of Minecraft. It still can once another portal is opened. Your father can go and come as he pleases then."

Ananon closed her eyes falling forward onto the floor. "I don't want to think about that right now. I want to rest."

With the Obsidian Portal destroyed the city and the village was in peace. Nain and Ananon were left to carry on their mother's roll of ruling it. Dric was now Ananon's head Scientist. With Dric's help they learned all they could about the Nether and its inhabitants. A ban was placed on the use of an Obsidian Portal and the ban was made world wide soon after.

A few years after the studies on the Nether were complete, the village had been up to date and now operational like the city Ananon saw it was time to go on a journey. Something she had to do somewhere. She told Nain good bye, who was sad to see her go, and Dric. They escorted her to the docks where Hinn and Pride along with his brother were waiting.

"I hope to see you return soon my lady." Hinn said looking sad by her leaving.

"I'll return once my journey is done." She smiled hugging each and every one of them.

Boarding the ship that had been prepared for her she set sail to the unknown hoping to uncover something else that her father had kept hidden. For starters she wanted to find that man that had sold the portal to her father. Waving good bye to her friends and brother the ship sailed out of the port and out into the sea becoming a spec in the distance before fully disappearing over the horizon.

From there it's history what happened afterwards.

**Ok, guys! Ch.16 and the end of how the skeletal race began! Ch.17 is where we'll pick up with Sell once more. Before I can type that up I've got classes starting up so it'll take me awhile to upload chapters. Do not worry though; I'll be submitting them as often as I possibly can. It'll just take longer. Also if I can get your feedback on the story so far I'd appreciate it greatly!**


	17. Chapter 17 Ananon's Heart

Ch.17 Ananon's Heart

I wasn't quite sure where I was exactly. Pastel colored sheep bounced around on pastel colored grass. Big fluffy clouds floated around me with small and large floating islands. Odd birds grazed ahead of me. Overhead and in the distance amongst the clouds were small box shaped cloud-looking creatures that flew about.

"Where are we?"

"We're in the Aether. Heaven for Minecraft. Nether is Hell." Ananon turned back to the world and smiled. She sighed, glad to be back. "Come. I shall grab a Moa for us to journey on."

"A what?" I asked following after her down the hillside towards the birds.

Blue birds that had large beaks turned towards us, making their odd bird sound. Ananon petted the birds gently. She climbed up on one of the birds backs and turned it towards me. "Pet one. They're sweet creatures to souls like us."

I noticed that Ananon's looks had turned pastel. "Why is everything so…light looking?"

Ananon gazed at me softly. "It's heaven. Everything is to be light and soft looking. It's a paradise for the dead."

A Moa clicked and rubbed my back affectionately. I turned around to look into the face of the gentle giant. "Are Moa's dead too?"

Ananon nodded. "Yes. They became extinct before we were created."

I petted the bird's beak, working my way to the back of it. It lowered its head to pull up the soft looking grass and munch on it. I managed to climb onto its back making it ruffle its feathers and squawk.

"Sorry, Moa. It's my first time to ride something like you," I apologized petting the bird's neck.

The Moa clicked its beak calming down. Ananon turned her bird around and headed for the top of the hillside we had come from. "Come on, we have to go see someone."

"Who?" I asked as my Moa followed after Ananon's.

Lady Ananon smiled to herself humming a tune that seemed to make the huge gentle giants of the sky, the Aerwhales, sing above us. I watched them fly or float, I wasn't sure; they might've been swimming on the air. This world was so weird to me, hardly any of the creatures made any sense. Like the whales in the sky. _The guys won't believe what I've been seeing here. They'll probably think I've gone insane from that death._

The Moa's clicked to one another randomly as they sprinted across yellow sand that stretched for miles ahead of them. I gripped my Moa tightly trying to hang on while Ananon held onto the bird's large shoulder bone that poked out under the feathers. I decided to try that out and found that the Moa's shoulder bone had a nice feature to grip. I watched the landscapes that rested on light fluffy clouds fly by. This was certainly a different way of travel that I had ever experienced.

It somewhat reminded me of being transported by Hel when he would carry me in his arms. I wondered if he was well, if the werewolves had harmed him any. If he were dead by now wouldn't I see him here too? Interesting thought and sad. I pushed the thought from my mind as the hills and giant cliffs began to thin and we were suddenly running through the sky with clouds floating around us.

The sun level with us casted warmth upon our sides. I smiled watching the suns rays filter through clouds, casting odd shapes of light through them.

"Hey, Ana? What's going to happen to my body?" I asked loud enough for her to hear.

"I'm not sure," she replied with her back to me. "Defiled, torn to bits, or taken some place in one piece."

I winced at the thoughts. "Geez. Talk about a nice burial. My body is in the claws of werewolves."

The Moa's spread their wings and suddenly took flight, soaring across the clouds. Every once in a while they would flap to gain altitude and float down slowly. I looked past the Moa's head to see a pathway leading someplace that disappeared behind large hills. The Moa's clicked landing on the pathway that was tiled. Every random space along the path there were tall or short remains of pillars.

"What's with the pillars?" I asked gazing at the crumbling objects as we passed them by.

"This is a very old land mark of the Valkyrie." Ananon replied turning to look back at me. "They are angel's that guard the buildings that have been built here. Within the buildings are treasured objects that they guard and hold dear."

"Huh," I replied looking around.

The Moa clicked and squawked coming to a stop. I wondered what was up when I noticed Ananon dismounting the bird. I slid off my own and watched the bird click and nuzzle my arm before turning and flying away with the other.

Ananon took up her dress in one hand and began striding away up the pathway. I followed after without a sound. As we walked, I wondered how long we had been there for. It felt like half an hour had gone by but was this time different than the living time? Ananon looked back at me raising a brow.

"You look like you have questions, my dear."

"Yeah, a good bit." I replied sheepishly. "Is this time different than the living?"

Ananon nodded. "Very. You've been here for about ten seconds in living time."

"What?" I exclaimed stopping in my tracks. "No way!"

Ananon chuckled at my reaction and beckoned for me to follow after her. "Come, we still have a ways to go."

"Ok," I said stepping next to her. "How long have you been here for?"

"Too long," she replied staring off into the sun's glorious rays that were ever changing by the clouds that drifted past. "You lose yourself in this place's beauty. Time doesn't matter here."

I watched an Aerwhale float over us lazily. This place was indeed a paradise for spirits but what if one of those spirits didn't have time to stay there and enjoy the scenic views and majestic beasts? What if the spirit had to find a way to get revived and save others before it was too late? I stared after Ananon as she strode away over the ancient blue glowing tile. _This will take me some time to get out of here I think. Hang on a little longer everyone. Please?_

Hel's mind was in a daze and a complete wreck after feeling something bash into him from above or was it behind? His whole head hurt. He grimaced pushing himself up onto his paws. He blinked a few times to get his vision to clear, and finally saw where he was. In the middle of the entirety of a large pack. All eyes glared down at him coldly.

A shiver went down his spine making his coat quiver slightly.

"Look at him, he's shaking out of fear."

The pack began laughing at this. Hel looked around at them all gathering himself, trying to remain calm.

"_I'm glad you all like to laugh at my reactions_."

"_Of course it is_," an auburn wolf replied stepping from the throng of wolves into the circle. "_I'm sure you haven't met Alpha Maul, correct?_"

Hel stared at him silently. The wolf's mouth twitched and pulled back into a grin. "_Oh, this will be fun. Even when the girl is brought here by Shyas_."

Hel growled at this information and hunched forward growling lowly. "_What did you just say?"_

"_Ooh, Erake, look at him now. I think you touched a nerve_." sniggered a female.

Hel didn't take his eyes off Erake. "_Why are you bringing her here? I'm the one to be punished!"_

Erake sneered taking a step towards him. "_Yes, you broke the code by stepping into a territory that you were an outsider by, but she is connected to you by the collar. Therefor you get equal punishment."_

Hel snapped at Erake, his fur rising along the ridge of his back. "_That's bullshit! Who made this shit up?_"

Erake circled around him still grinning. "_Don't get your fur in such a tangle. You'll get to ask the wolf who created those rules soon enough._"

Hel snapped at Erake snarling. "_Good! Because that wolf is a stupid son of a bitch!"_

The pack erupted into laughter. Erake could really touch anyone's nerves just right. A hush went through the pack like a wave as all heads turned towards the darkest part of the woods. Large eyes illuminated the darkness as a huge werewolf figure stalked into the pack, the pack moving aside for their alpha to come into the center. Hel stepped back looking up at the werewolf with a slightly opened mouth.

"_If it isn't my youngest son who left me for Minecraftian's_." the alpha growled.

"_If it isn't my father who watched me go_." Hel replied holding his fathers gaze.

"_What brings you to the base? I thought you knew where you stood?"_

"_Of course I know where I stand. Things happened and I wound up here. Simple as that."_

Maul growled lowly at Hel. "_That bitch?"_

Hel narrowed his eyes. "_Don't call her that. She is under my protection. I respect her and her family for all they've done for me."_

"_You were taken from me!"_ Maul roared down upon Hel. "_How can you thank that bastard for such a thing like that? Pup-napping?"_

Hel took a step back, bracing himself at his fathers anger. _"I didn't know. I was young, father_."

Maul huffed and growled, his fur bristling. "_Too young or stupid. It doesn't matter!"_

_"Let Sell off with a warning. I'm the one to punish, father_." Hel bowed his head.

_"Sell? Is that the dead girl's name?"_

Hel's head shot up at this. "_What? Dead?"_

Maul grinned rising up on his hind legs, towering over the pack. "_Yes! Dead! Isn't it marvelous? You're free to return home!_"

_"No!"_ Hel howled out rising up, still dwarfed by his father's sheer size. "_It's not marvelous! I failed in protecting her!_"

"_You were no more than a mere dog!"_ Maul snarled jabbing his large head in Hel's face. "_How can you not be happy to be free at last? Don't tell me you enjoyed watching that wretches every move?_"

Hel shrank down on his haunches looking at the grass. "_I did."_

Gasps from the werewolves of the pack went around. Maul crouched down over his son. "_What?"_

"_I liked protecting her. It was the most action I've ever had!"_ Hel replied looking up at his father. "_It made me feel like I had a purpose to live than just wandering around Minecraft mindlessly!"_

Maul's face contorted into a devilish snarl as his great arm smacked Hel, sending him flying through the trees. The trees were all demolished as wood flew everywhere from Hel's crashing. Finally the sound of breaking wood ceased and Hel sprawled out on heaps of trunks and saplings trying to catch his winded breath. The sound of splintering wood could be heard approaching Hel. Hel suddenly was picked up and pinned against a large pine with such force he felt a few of his ribs break.

"_AHH!_" he cried out grasping the great paw. He grimaced looking through his watering eyes at his father's cold eyes that shone hatred towards him. "_Father…!"_

"_Don't you dare call me father another time, you piece of shit!"_ Maul snapped flinging him away back towards the pack.

Hel felt himself skip and tumble in a heap across the ground before hitting a tree and falling into the circle of the pack. Blood dripping from his body as sticks stuck from his coat. Maul stalked into the center, his chest heaving out of anger.

"_You will not be punished. You will be killed!"_

A wolf flung a young woman's body into the center where it landed with a thud onto the grass in a heap next to Hel. Hel moved his head slightly to look, his eyes went wide at the sight of Sell. "_No! Sell?_"

Sell's once beautiful cheery face was smeared and covered in blood where she had been dragged through some. Her chest drenched in her own blood where her stitches had been opened out of force. Hel got to his paws shakingly, nosing under her chin. "_Sell? Sell, wake up!"_

Maul back pawed Hel into the tree that had stopped him from tumbling past the pack. Maul pressed him against the trunk forcefully. "_Why are you crying for that pathetic Skeletal heir? Hmm? You love her or something?_"

Hel pressed and clawed against his father's great paw trying to get air. Maul pressed against him harder snapping his jaws. "_Answer me!"_

Hel gasped shakingly making scratches in his father's paw. "_Yes…Yes I do…!"_

Maul narrowed his eyes and grinned. A small chuckle came from him that turned into laughter. "_You all hear that? He says he loves that bitch! Do werewolves love Minecraftian's? Do we?"_

The pack laughed as Maul looked back at Hel. His face got serious once again. "_It's time to open those eyes, pup! Werewolves hunt Minecraftian's. Werewolves kill Minecraftians. Werewolves kill Skeletal heirs. Werewolves don't fall in love or like Minecraftian's!"_

Hel coughed blood onto his father's paw and smiled weakly. "_I guess I'm the one to break that law then._"

Hel was forced through the trunk of the tree with one shove from his father. He fell to the ground with a sickening crack, wood falling upon his body. He layed there, blood seeping from his nose.

_I'm not the one that's in the wrong. There's no harm in this. Right, Notch? There's no rule on love. You haven't written it. It's free… Why do they hate it like so then, Notch?_

Maul growled down at the crumpled body of his youngest son. "_Kill him!"_

The pack sprang growling and snarling. Hel's body was covered up by the mass of werewolves leaping upon him, blocking the light of the moon from above.

I found myself standing before a huge coliseum type building with huge pillars that went around the front and the back of the building. Ananon looked over to me and smiled. "Shall we?"

I watched as Valkyrie's emerged from the front and took flight towards us. I was slightly scared by them seeing they were holding stone swords. "Are they coming to attack us?"

Ananon laughed. "No. They are going to welcome us home. We're going to see my mother."

"Your mother?" I repeated raising a brow. "What is she doing here?"

Ananon didn't reply. I followed after her as the Valkyrie's touched down around us smiling and giving us warm welcomes. I was ushered inside quickly by a few Valkyrie's and placed in front of a glowing golden throne before a woman that sat above me. She smiled down to me softly. "Welcome, Sell of the Skeletal Race and heir of Lord Rien. My daughter has told me much about her adventures with your father and another man named Lones."

"Yes, Ma'am." I replied bowing my head. "I'm not quite sure why I'm here exactly."

Queen Lyrena stood stepping down from the throne, her gown that was gold and a brilliant white dragged behind her. "_You are the savior for those that need help from the darkness that creeps across the land every night. I will tell you of the story of how that darkness began. Open your mind and close your ears. Your heart is the road that can take you there. The soul, a paradise for those that need salvation. Your hands, ever flexing protectively around the innocents that live. Let your mind calm and open for the knowledge that I may give you here today."_

I found myself being flung through time as images and things flew by at a rapid rate. I was suddenly sucked into darkness and suspended there for Notch knows how long.

_"Come child, walk the path along with me. My light shines before you_."

I saw a brilliant white path glowing beneath me. My feet moved on their own, shuffling down the pathway towards the unknown light in the distance. As I walked the Queen's life story unfolded around me. Before I knew it the light enveloped me and I was staring into the face of Queen Lyrena once more. She grimaced stroking my cheek. "Was that too much?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. I'm just processing my thoughts."

Ananon stepped next to me clasping her hands in front of her. "Sell, please know that all of this evil was because I failed to stop it. I'm so sorry. Please take my heart?"

I looked down at her clasped hands that opened to show me crimson glass shards that had a heartbeat. I gaped at them. She cupped them, the five inch long shards, raising them up to my chest. "_Take my heart unto you, its powerful beat awakening you. Each breath drawn empowers you_."

The shards melted together and formed as a beating muscular heart in her hands. She pressed it against my chest making it phase through into me. I suddenly felt myself lurch and thrown downwards at a lightning fast rate. I hit the ground so hard my air left me. My eyes flew open as I gasped for air.

My cloak that was about me changed. One half went white while the other side remained black. Somewhere over me I heard a deep growl that set off a chaos of growling and snarling. Shadows leapt over my body and blocked out all light from the moon. _Werewolves!_

My mind went back to the wolf that had taken me from my bed. He had tricked me. I got to my feet with a yell. Flames erupted around me jumping into the air and attacking the werewolves that were leaping around me. Yelps of surprise and cries echoed through the air. I wondered what they were all attacking and turned around to see Hel's mangled body there on the ground.

"Hel?"

My feet shuffled forward as my eyes focused on the body. It was Hel. My body flung forward without hesitation. My mind blocked everything out around me.

"Hel!"

I felt a blunt object strike into the side of me, sending me through the woods at a high speed. My body instinctively curled into a ball as I went crashing through the woods. The speed I was going at, I couldn't do a thing but to remain as I was. _What the hell hit me?_ I struck into something that knocked all the breath from my body. Opening my eyes I saw a beasts jaws gaping wide and heading straight for me.

"Shit!" My hands clenched as my body began to slip from where it had been suspended against for the fraction of a moment at that time. My mind screamed at me to do something but my body was still stunned from the impact. _Move! Quick, do something! Move!_

My eyes widened further as the great salivating maw roared at me getting bigger, growing steadily closer. It was upon me!


	18. Chapter 18 Maul's Fate

Ch.18 Maul's Fate

Skelar remained in the corner where he and half the village guard were pinned up by werewolves. Above them on and around were skeletons and creepers that had spawned. A few Zombies moaned and groaned wandering aimlessly around. Too bad the Skeletons were stupid. Their natural instinct was to shoot anything that moved.

The werewolves made quick work of all the mobs. Skelar sighed crossing his arms. "This is utter bullshit! They have Sell and Hel!"

Serdra hissed at him to shut up. "We can't do anything about that right now! We need to focus on ourselves."

"Fuck that!" Skelar barked growing angrier by the second. "These bastards don't have shit on us! Hey, where are all the long ranged guys?"

Serdra face palmed herself. "In the middle of the tower holed up."

An explosion came from one of the houses that shook the ground and made all the werewolves spin around. Skelar took the moment to attack. Serdra and the others followed after attacking werewolves one by one as a group. The rest of the werewolves could be seen fleeing, yelping and barking from fear. Skelar and the others rejoiced.

"We made them run!"

"Hah! Cowards!"

Arrows rained down upon them sudden and Creepers landed flashing and exploding. Everyone freaked out and ran for cover. Skelar got shot in the back by a Skeleton as he was running up the ridge for the woods. He stumbled and fell face first on the trail. _What had caused that explosion? It wasn't any kind of TNT._ Skeletons, Creepers, Zombies, and Spiders trampled across his body into the woods without any further hesitation. Skelar raised his head up in confusion watching them head off down the trail. "What the fuck..?"

Serdra sprinted over to him and knelt down helping him to his knees. "Hold still, you have an arrow that's deep."

Skelar didn't have time to register what she said as pain exploded in his lower right side of his back. "AH! Shit!"

He fell forward with tears of pain creeping from the corners of his eyes. Serdra waved the arrow in front of him. "I got it! See? You'll be ok now!"

He whimpered. "Why me?"

A werewolf figure stood at the edge of the forest watching them. Skelar looked up to see Rayr there. "Rayr! Rayr, you're ok!"

Rayr hesitantly stepped forward. "_It's bad. Hel's been taken down by the whole pack. Sell's been killed by the wolf that tricked us all. Her heart bled out as he took her to the pack."_ He collapsed howling sadness and crying for forgiveness. "_I'm such a coward! I'm sorry I wasn't any help! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!_"

The news hit Serdra and Skelar like a ton of bricks. They looked at one another in silence. Skelar shook his head at the thought of Sell being dead. "Hell no. She wouldn't just…"

"She lost a lot of blood on the way he said…" Serdra stared back with tears running down. "Hel's been killed too…"

Skelar got to his feet and sprinted off through the woods. His tears flying behind him as he ran.

_No._ All that could be heard were his feet trampling the grass beneath him.

_No._ He knocked low hanging leaves out of his way as he charged through.

_No!_ He leapt a nine block wide hole and landed on the other side running.

_This isn't happening! Sell's not dead and Hel's not dead either! It's all just a lie!_ Skelar screamed in his head as he sprinted on through the woods. A werewolf caught up to his side at last.

_"I'm sorry, Skelar. It's true! Don't get into the throng; we'll both be killed too!"_ Rayr whined.

"Shut up! It's time we showed our strength as well." Skelar ordered leaping onto the werewolf's back. "Hurry, go!"

Rayr leapt into his sprint and hurtled head long through the forest. Rayr's ears picked up on fighting and agonized cries of pain, his sprint slowed until he came to a stop to listen. "_Fighting ahead."_

Skelar slid off his back grasping the hilt of his sword. "Come on. I don't think that army of mobs were anything but normal."

A great fireball illuminated the woods ahead of them, catching the werewolves and some of the forest on fire. Wolves yelped and cried out all around. Skelar grasped Rayr's fur on the side out of surprise and a little afraid. "The fuck..?"

Rayr sprang away from Skelar to clamp his jaws around a fleeing werewolf and pin him down. The werewolf yelped and cried out struggling. "_No! I don't want to die! Please? Let me go!"_

_"What's going on?"_ Rayr growled into his neck fur.

_"The body erupted in fire! Came to life!"_ the werewolf yelped.

Skelar gasped and took off towards the fire and fighting. Rayr barked at him. _"Wait, Skelar!"_

Skelar was several tree lengths from the clearing. He spotted a figure in a white and black cloak that was turning to help someone. He heard the figure cry out Hel. He gasped as his body pinned its self behind a tree at the sight. A huge werewolf appeared that he hadn't seen before and backhanded the figure, sending it flying through the woods.

The trees weren't standing a chance. Skelar's breath left him as he saw the body crash into trees and keep on going. He felt himself slide down the trunk of the tree and sit there on the ground in shock. His mind couldn't wrap around the thought of a massive werewolf of that proportion stalking these woods. An arrow flew over his head and buried into a tree trunk six blocks away from him.

He turned to see the mob army that had exploded from the house in the village attacking the werewolves, some catching fire while others were being smacked about and bitten. Rayr knelt in front of him suddenly panting. _"What's wrong?"_

Skelar looked at him with bulging eyes. "Huge werewolf…"

Rayr's eyes flicked around the woods to stop at a sound of something large crashing through the woods. _"Come on, while he's away we need to get Hel's body!"_

Skelar looked around the trunk of the tree at the chaos in front of them. The black werewolf's body was below a small drop off not but twelve steps away. "Cover me."

Skelar gripped the tree and got to his feet. _One…_ He took deep breaths to gain control over his nerves._ Two…_ His hand pulled out his sword on his side belt._ Three!_ He sprang from his hiding spot swinging his sword and taking out a bouncing skeleton that was having a duel with another skeleton. He dove into the drop off over Hel's body and grabbed up the upper body of Hel, placing it on his back; Hel's head lolled over his shoulder and heavily hit his chest as he struggled with the over grown body. Rayr slowly backed into the tree line making sure no others tried to attack. Everyone was busy with their own issues at the moment.

He whirled around and bounded into the woods to take up his stride with Skelar. Skelar paused to get his breath. "Damn! He's heavy!"

Rayr lowered himself looking over at him. "_Put him on my back. I'll carry him to the village."_

Skelar nodded and did as Rayr suggested when Hel was finally on Rayr's back. "Get him to the village vet quickly."

A scream split the air that made them both look towards the direction it came from. Skelar looked at Rayr. "That was a female!"

Rayr sniffed the air and shook his head. "_I can't get a scent."_

Skelar took off through the woods calling over his shoulder. "Get to the village with him! I'll see into this!"

Rayr had no choice. He looked at the limp, broken form of Hel on his back and trotted off towards the village.

Skelar stopped at a tree, his chest heaving as he panted hard. He had heard the scream over here somewhere. A roar made him look up to see the massive werewolf charging towards the side of a mountainous hillside. "_Die, Sell!"_

_Sell?_ Skelar looked up to see a Skeletal heir with the black and white cloak slipping from the side of the hillside upside down. The hood falling back to show the skeletal figure with burning eye sockets. Skelar's body reacted without him knowing it. He sprang from his place and felt something surge through him with intense heat. His sword left his out stretched hand, flying towards the werewolf's chest. "Hit the mark!"

Maul saw the sword in the corner of his eye and sideways dodged at the last second. "_Stupid foolish heir!_"

"Get back, Skelar!" Sell screamed out to him as a scythe appeared in Sell's hand before his eyes.

I whirled the scythe, sending flames across it to the tip and pushed off from the side of the hill. I gripped the pole and swung it reciting words that came to mind. "_Death may take my enemies by surprise, I will take my enemies to their graves alive! I will face thy evil, thy shadows of the night and show them the proper light!"_

My scythe cut across Maul's muzzle leaving a deep burning gash. The fire mixing with flesh made Maul's nostrils flare. He roared out rearing back as his great paws raked at his muzzle. I landed and sprang forward not allowing him another chance to attack. I swung the scythe many more times as I attacked his body setting his fur and flesh aflame.

The air was filled with the great werewolf crying out from the pain and trying to put out the flames. Skelar had retrieved his sword where it had buried itself and threw it once more. This time it struck its mark, in Maul's throat. Maul's eyes went wide as he felt the blade pierce into him. He yelped shaking himself trying to rid his neck of the intruder.

"Now, Sell!" he yelled out to me.

I took the chance to leap up and scale the side of the hillside until I was standing atop over the alpha. I took a running start and leapt the gap between me and the great beast. I raised the scythe over my head, my hood that covered my face flew back to expose my skull. My bleached bones shone beneath the moonlight and from where Skelar stood watching I must've been quite a terrifying sight. I stabbed the blade of the scythe firmly into Maul's head making all movements cease.

"I wasn't joking when I said I was going to bring you to the grave alive." I rasped and forced the blade in further. "It's up to Notch to judge you now. For your evil and siding with the darkness below. Prayers won't be enough to overlook your wretchedness!"

The earth below him seemed to shake and open up slowly to consume Maul whole. I stepped onto his shoulders and sprang in front of him. My scythe whipped across his face before resting at my side. "That being said and done, may you not have the sight to see Him when he speaks to such a damned beast such as you."

I stood there staring deep into Maul's eyes, seeing his mind trying to process what was happening as he was being sucked down into the earth. Below was a great gorge of lava. That seemed like a fitting end to Maul. The grass reconnected and the ground returned to normal like nothing ahd ever happened. Skelar looked to me as I slowly turned to him. We stood there in silence for a moment. He jabbed a bony finger at me and fire lit his eyes.

"That bastard took my sword! You had the ground suck him up with my sword!"

I sighed flipping my hood back over my skull. "You can make another at the forge. Stop complaining."

"But I worked hard on that! It took me all damn day!"

I turned walking back towards the village, my form shifting back to Minecraftian slowly. Skelar also changed and caught up to me.

"How are you alive again? Rayr said you died."

My right hand went up to my chest and gripped my shirt. I looked up to the sky and smiled up at the moon. "Yes. I did die but I'll tell you after we get Hel."

"He's at the village," Skelar said quickly. "Rayr and I took him from the fight. I sent Rayr back with him while I came to find you."

I grabbed Skelar's arm tightly. "Was he alive when you got him?"

Skelar shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't move when I had him slung over my back. He didn't even move when I placed him on Rayr's back."

I sprinted away from him. "Come on! Hurry!"

Skelar ran after me but a bit slower, drained of energy from all that had happened. The fire from the circle had burnt out, the werewolves gone. The sun was on the rise ahead of us over the hills. The sky was lightening up and the dark was fading behind us. Now that I was back on my feet with no injuries, well not serious ones, I began to wonder what was in store for Hel.

Now that the werewolves had no leader they weren't a problem. Of course I think that but it could always turn for the worst. The village was still weak and it could've been weakened further by the werewolf attack that had fallen once more upon them all. Leaping down every other step on the ridge I ran towards the stable where the villagers had gathered.

"Serdra!" I called out making her turn and gape at me like most of the others. "Is he alive?"

I pushed past them all without getting a reply. I stumbled through the door and grabbed a fence post to brace myself before falling and saw that Hel was in much worse shape that I had thought. I panted against the post looking at the IV's that were hooked up all over him and a machine that whirred and beeped. The veterinarian looked up at me with a straight face and looked back at him.

I knew. Hel was on the verge of death.

**Hey guys!The story might be getting a title change.I haven't decided what it'll be called but I'll let you all known in the next chapter or so for you all to keep a look out me some reviews on the story too.I really like the feedback from my readers!Thank you all so much!**

**~Yunalia **


	19. Chapter 19 Sunrise of Vulnerable & Dead

Ch.19 Sunrise of the Vulnerable and Dead

I knelt at Hel's feet. My throat closed up at the sight of him. His form shivered and began to change back into his Minecraftian form, pain from his wounds made his face contort. His clothes ripped all to hell and his body totally bitten and ripped up. This was the price he had paid to keep me alive, to change Maul's mind, it had backfired greatly.

"You knew all along what would happen. Yet you still…" I stopped my sentence there. My voice and my throat wouldn't let me continue.

The vet turned to me taking out the ear buds of his stethoscope. "There's nothing I can do but try to relieve the pain and reset the bones. He has internal bleeding in some places around the abdomen and above."

"Ok." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "How long will the surgery be?"

"Several hours." The vet got to his feet hanging the stethoscope around his neck and turned to his assistant. "Ready the table. Make sure everything is clean. I'll go prepare things on my end."

The young girl nodded and got to her feet quietly. "Yes, sir."

My fingers ran through my hair nervously. Skelar bent down placing a hand on my shoulder. "You need rest, Sell. You've been fighting longer than any of us today."

"You'll wake me when surgery starts, right?" I asked looking up at him worriedly.

He nodded and helped me up. I shuffled away slowly, Rayr holding onto my arm to steady me, as I made my way to a different house since mine got destroyed by the mob's explosion. My head hit the pillow and I was gone.

"Sell?" several voices asked concerned.

"Sell, can you hear us?"

"She's not moving…!"

"Quiet, she'll come around."

I felt my eyelids move and finally open to a bright light shining down upon me from somewhere above. A head or two blocked it and made a glowing outline around them. As my vision cleared I saw my two brothers over me and my father at my feet leaning over my chest, checking for a heartbeat. "Yeah. I'm here."

They all lit up with happiness and grabbed my body up. "Oh Notch! We heard what happened! It's all over Minecraft!"

"Damn were we worried!" Toc cried squeezing me. "Dad almost lost his mind because you couldn't be found or anything! It was like you had died."

I pushed away to get a breath and kept them at an arm's length. "I did die."

My brothers gaped at me with a slight gasp. My father nodded, agreeing with himself that he had been right. "You did die. I knew it."

"I met up with Lady Ananon and I met her mother." I smiled at dad resting my right hand on my chest over my heart. "She gave me her heart so that I could carry on where she failed."

My father's eyes filled with tears and fell back to sit on his heels. "She always had a big heart. Damn her! Not a day goes by that I don't think about her."

"She said things wouldn't have been any different if she had been living still. Her dying gave our kind a reason to carry on." I gripped my father's upper leg. "I took Maul out. Took him alive to the grave! A message from me to that damned bastard down in the Nether!"

Dad placed a hand on both of his son's shoulder and squeezed them looking down on me. "Look at our Sell, boys. She's become something that not even werewolves can handle."

My brothers grabbed me up in another hug allowing father to join in. My father's head lifted up at something. "Honey! Sell! She's alive!"

I turned to look over my shoulder and saw my mother flat out running with her skirt lifted up. "Oh my, Notch! Sell?"

My mother fell against us heavily sobbing on my shoulder. "My daughter! She's back! Thank you, thank you!"

Toc smiled at me. "They went almost crazy when dad suddenly sprang from his chair at the fireplace chanting that you were dead. Hell, mom went all over the town crying on all of her friends shoulders that you had perished."

I burst into a light fit of giggles as I began crying a little. "I told them I wasn't ready to leave Minecraft just yet. Not until all of the evil was gone and my family could live safely again."

My family cried on me more out of joy and happiness. I cried on dad's chest out of sadness for Hel. What was I to do if I lost him now? I sobbed hard making my family look upon me with concern. It wasn't until ten minutes had passed before I could speak again.

"Hel got attacked by the pack to protect me. I got there too late to stop them but I did force most of them off before Maul and I fought. Skelar and Rayr got him out of the fight and back to the village. It did little though." My head hung down as I sniveled and gasped for breath.

Father hugged me tightly resting his head on mine. "This was what he was raised to do, sweetie. Protect you till the very end."

"But it's not the end!" I snapped sobbing once more. "It's nowhere near the end for any of this!"

My brothers rested their heads on my shoulders while my mother rubbed my back. "It'll be ok, Sell. What happens to Hel is probably what Notch intended."

"Life was given to us by him, and it can be taken away in some way or manner. His angels and demons divide up the latter. Harmony or whatever it may be, he'll always watch over and guide us for all eternity." My father said into my hair quietly. "That is a prayer that Ananon said to me one night while nursing my wounds from a serious fight."

"She had many," I whispered wiping my eyes on my arm.

We moved into the house and sat down in the living room eating watermelon and drinking chocolate milk. I was told stories of mom's first day at her flower shop in town, how dad messed up some orders and how they killed some of the flowers by spraying them with something that wasn't water. My brothers found a pesticide that could be used with ground up finely red stone and charcoal. Most of the farmers around us didn't trust it but were considering on the testing.

"I can't believe I missed all this," I smiled looking at my cup. "Dad, you remember that paper you gave me?"

Father nodded at me. "Did it work?"

"Exploded my damn room and charged through the woods to aide me as I've been told."

My brothers bust out laughing along with dad. Father picked up something from behind his chair and handed it to me. It was wrapped in a thin layer of wool that had been dyed and woven together. Taking the wool off I saw a hand crafted picture frame with a thin sheet of glass protecting a picture from the outside elements. In that picture was me when I was younger holding up a wooden play sword and standing next to Hel who stood taller than me by a foot and a half.

I smiled and looked up at dad. "Where did you find this?"

"At the old mansion. It was in Hel's bedroom. Apparently Hel kept it on his dresser near a window. I saw that he had placed it there under a window for the right time in the afternoon, where the light would filter through a hole in the tree where leaves didn't grow and strike this picture to make it glow."

"Genius," muttered Toc to Des. Des nodded in agreement.

I stared at the picture a bit more. Why had he treasured this one? "This was when we were little. We would run all over the woods playing and stuff."

Dad got to his feet and went over to the kitchen, putting his cup in the sink. "He's been by your side for quite some time, Sell. It's all he's known."

"So when I came back to that island… He wasn't mad at me for intruding or anything, he was happy?"

"He's probably angry at me for taking you from there but I explained to him that it had to be done." Father replied walking back to his seat. "He's angry at me for making you grow up without him there."

I got to my feet not realizing just how much Hel had missed me. How happy I made him when I was ordering him around or talking to him. How sad and worried he is when I disappear or get hurt. "I got to go. I'll be back later, everyone."

I placed the picture on the kitchen counter and left without a word more. Mother and father watched me go from the front door, the gate shutting behind me with a click as I strode off down the gravel drive and disappeared.

I opened my eyes and left the bedroom that I had gone to sleep in. I passed Skelar who had dozed off where he was sitting, at the kitchen table. I opened the barn gates and knelt at Hel's sleeping head. "I'm sorry I've been gone from your side for so long. I hadn't realized how you felt until now. I promise I won't leave you anymore. Ok?" My hand stroked his hair, taking out the small tangles that his hair had gotten. I sat there for I don't know how long. The vet and his assistant came in to retrieve Hel for surgery. Rayr and Skelar walked in to help pick up Hel and transport him gently to the operating room.

My legs trudged behind them numbly. I sat in the next room that was separated by glass to overlook the operation. My face couldn't smile or move, just looked forlorn. My hands laid in my lap loosely, my eyes never leaving Hel's body or what the vet was doing.

_This happened because of me. This is my entire fault. If only I had returned a bit sooner._ I couldn't help but argue with myself over Hel's wounds and in the position he was in. Everything was very upsetting to see.

With the surgery over, Hel was taken out of the operating room and into a room to rest and heal. No visitors were allowed. I sat out in the hallway on the tiled floor waiting. Rayr and skelar stood that the end of the hallway watching me, saddened by me.

Rayr turned to Skelar worriedly. "What if she stays like this after he's well?"

Skelar shrugged shaking his head. "I don't know. We'll have to contact Rien then."

"Come on, she needs to know about the death count so far." Rayr said walking from Skelar, slowly approaching Sell.

Skelar hung back and watched as Rayr told me about the deaths. My face, my body, nothing moved. Nothing showed them that I had heard them or acknowledged. Rayr looked back at Skelar shrugging. Skelar sighed leaning on the door.

Nothing would make me better until Hel had gotten on his feet once more. Serdra came up to stand next to Skelar and looked down towards Rayr and I. "No change?"

Skelar shook his head. "Silent and withdrawn."

"I knew she was quite attached to Hel but never this bad." Serdra muttered folding her arms.

"How's the village?" Skelar asked changing the topic.

"Much sadness but we'll begin anew once the dead have been buried." Serdra replied. "I'll need you and Rayr's help."

Skelar nodded. "We'll be glad too. I'll get Rayr and meet you outside."

Serdra stared at me for a moment and silently shook her head in disbelief. "That poor child. I can tell she hasn't experienced death or loss of a loved one yet."

Serdra turned and left the hospital. Skelar watched Rayr as he tried to make me snap out of it. "Come on, Rayr. We've got stuff to do."

Rayr looked back at him with a frown. "Right." He turned back to me and slumped with defeat. "Get a hold of yourself, Sell. It's not the end of the world."

The werewolf turned walking away with his hands in his pockets. I remained staring at the opposite wall not blinking. The vet and his assistant walked back and forth to check on Hel, occasionally stopping to check on me and kept going with their jobs. Days passed and turned into weeks. I would go to the hospital three times a day to check on Hel's progress but it was still pretty bad.

Another surgery had to be done making Hel's recovery longer still. I had regular meetings with my father and brothers telling them how Hel was and what were going on. My father and brothers saw my depression and were worried about me. I would sit outside under the oak tree that had grown out near the fields. I sat there almost all night and day staring out at the village in the distance, watching farmers till the ground, their wives pulling up old flowers and planting new ones, children running about playing; just life in general.

It went about like normal, like there was no evil that preyed on them each and every night. I wished Minecraftian's could know of the Skeletal race, how I and all the others were risking our lives to not let evil win the lands over by taking every Minecraftian soul. Minecraft would be a wasteland for evil; there wouldn't be any smiling or laughing, no birthdays or games, no picnics or parties. Just a world of dead grass, lava erupting and taking over lakes or waterways. The evil from in the Nether roaming about freely, seeking out any life left…

I smacked the back of my head against the trunk of the oak making my mind stop thinking about all that. It made me mad just to think of the Nether, what all happened there to Ananon, how it changed the way Minecraftian's lived at night. Upon nightfall every Minecraftian needed to seek shelter, be it safe or a make-shift, it didn't matter. They all knew the dangers and what could happen. The wind from the shore line blew in ruffling my hair about my face, blowing in the salt from the waves on the wind.

_I bet Hel misses the smell of salt air._ I thought when footsteps caught my attention. I looked up to see a farmer from below the hillside walking his old mare down the gravel road towards the village with a cart filled with wood. The old farmer waved to me as he passed. I smiled weakly as I waved back. _That old mare is still going. How old is she now? Twenty- five? Heavens, she was in her teens when I was little._

"I can't believe the mare still gets up and walks."

I looked up to see Des leaning against the tree with a stalk of wheat in his mouth. "I was just thinking that myself. How old is she now?"

Des shrugged. "Hell if I know. She's getting to be too old to pull carts anymore though. She's been a good mare to him. He'll be sad to see her go."

"I remember she gave me a ride on her back when I was nine." Sell smiled hugging her legs. "I'll miss her when she goes. I'm sure Ananon and her mother will adore her though."

Des chuckled helping me up. "I take it you like these people? You said you met them in the Aether?"

I nodded fixing my hair from the wind. "Dad was good friends with her."

Des sighed putting an arm around my shoulders. "I wish I knew what you and dad were talking about most of the time. Me and Toc just nod and act like we understand; in reality we don't know jack shit."

This took me by surprise. I stared up at Des with a slightly shocked expression. "All this time I thought you and Toc knew. You really don't know anything…?"

Des shook his head. "Not a thing."

I looked up at the house and around to see if dad was anywhere nearby. "We need to ask dad."

"Great," Des muttered with a sigh. "Let's go find him then."

I walked alongside Des talking about the villagers that had died from the werewolf attack, how they were buried from sunrise to sunset. How I had been checking up on Hel three times a day for the past couple of weeks. I had lost track of time and hadn't realized that it had become a month.

"Is Hel going to live through this?"

The question made me stop for a second. "The vet… He thinks so. It's too early to tell because Hel had another operation. He's getting better slowly. I think he is anyway. It's all I can do."

Des nodded at me, understanding that all of this was quite hard on me. "No one likes to see a friend hurt."

_Nope. No one does._ My eyes rested on fathers back as he worked in one of the fields where the horses grazed for the day. The wind blew the tall grass this way and that, ruffling dad's straw hat enough to make him hold the top. "Dad's a scientist. He created me artificially but naturally in a way that can't nessicarily be understood."

Des turned to me slowly raising a brow. "Huh?"

"See?" I walked away opening the gates and waited for Des. "You coming or are you going to stand there like a tree?"

"Hey, Sell, can I ask you a question?" Des said as a grin spread across his face. He walked to the gates and shut them behind us.

I turned to him wondering why he was grinning. "What would the question be?"

"I understand where most of the wildlife comes from. Pigs, cows, chickens, spiders… Where do Creepers come from? They make no sense here."

"Simple," I replied plucking a blade of tall grass and pulling it taught. "It was our creator's you- know- what at one point in time to fuck us all." I blew across the blade of grass making a high shrill whistle.

Father looked up and waved at us. Des hooked his arm about my neck rubbing his knuckles on my head roughly. "You're quite the lady, Sell! Where did you learn that from, hm?"

I laughed pushing him off and wincing as his knuckles got harder. "Ow! Ow! Come on, Des! Lay off!"

We broke out into a tussle with one another. Father sighed at our antics. He was glad that I was at least smiling for them. He showed his small bit of happiness with a smile of his own, rooting for Des to overpower me. It still wasn't over though. I knew this small bit of happiness wouldn't go very far once I left from here.

All I could do was enjoy while it lasted.


	20. Chapter 20 Rogue Conquest

Ch.20 Rogue Conquest

Another month has passed here in the village. Hel's body is slowly recovering. The vet and his assistant can now see him healing. The village has a handful of new bright and laughing children, they bring more light to the village than the sun could ever shine. They are the future that this village is rebuilding on.

Everyone's got high hopes that they'll come back much stronger than before. I'm sure they will at that too. As for me, I've been setting up a better system for the village. Talking to the mayor of the village, discussing housing and building projects. The village was a measly nine buildings.

Now, it's a bustling village with twenty buildings, mostly housing and storage. Every village that's going through the changes of rebuilding needs a good bit of storage. While staying here and seeing over Hel a few new adventurers have come to live here. Three young girls and four boys. Every day they meet me in the village café and question me about things I've seen or done and fought.

They're quite the inquisitive types. Dad would have a ball with them; make them believe tall tales and crazy stories. Skelar would join me and answer them… When he could. When afternoon was setting I would take them out past the village and have them stand out in one of the fields that hadn't been prepared for seed and watch things spawn in the coming of night. Being a Skeletal heir I could tell these seven adventurers didn't have an ounce of Skeletal race in them.

The three girls were interested in Hel a lot more than I was expecting, not because they liked him but because he was interesting to them. They had never seen a werewolf before. Rayr and Skelar gave the seven young adventurers a lesson about werewolves that lived in the wild and how dangerous they were. Upon teaching them we also lured an ogre a mile off from the village and blocked him in with some obsidian that the miners had gotten down in the mine shaft that they had broken into a few weeks ago. The seven adventurers saw me and Skelar as adventurers and decided to keep it that way.

While heading to bed early one night I climbed up in the tower that looked out over the village for mobs that roamed too near. In the distance the fading sunset gave me an odd feeling. I let the feeling slide and went on to bed.

"Sell!" Des called out running to me with a hoe in his hand. "Dad left a few nights ago!"

I cocked my head wondering why. "Did he say where?"

Des shook his head. "No. He just said to tell you that on the outskirts of Denudiar there are strange things happening. He and Lones left a few nights to see what was going on."

Toc strode up holding a bundle of tied up wheat. "You tell her about dad?"

"Yea. He just finished." I replied looking at him. "So, Denudiar? That's a town if I'm not mistaken. "

My brothers both nodded. "We went there with dad before to help with cattle. Herded around fifty cows back into their corral before dusk. That wasn't an easy feat."

I knew it wasn't. Cows were the most stubbornness creatures in Minecraft. I scratched my head thinking why father would tell me about such a place.

"Maybe he wants you to project yourself?" Toc asked shifting the wheat.

Still though, it took a good bit out of me when I project somewhere far away like Denudiar. It was at least sixty miles from where we were. If you were on horseback it took you two and a half days to reach, by boat it would take two days, and if you flew it would only be one. Go figure.

"The village I'm in doesn't have a plane." I said folding my arms. "Besides, I can't leave the village with Hel being down still."

"Dad said to leave the village under Skelar and Rayr's watch. It's time for you to do this on your own." Des spoke up staring at me.

I frowned feeling my stomach get uneasy. I nodded finally. "I'll see if I can project that far. I'm not promising anything though."

Toc and Des nodded saying they understood. "We hope, if you do reach that far in projection, that you will help father out."

I turned away fading away slowly, waving to them with the back of my hand. "See ya'll."

I stared at the ceiling for the longest time and sighed with frustration. It was going to take me awhile to get that sort of concentration to pull off such a feat. All day of meditation would have to be in order. I got up and placed a sign outside the door saying: Stay Out! Now for the hard part, meditation.

I got myself comfy in bed and placed myself in utter blackness. Now, all I could do was monitor my heart rate and try to make my way to father.

Thunder boomed suddenly making me gasp as lightening followed, illuminating the room for me. I quickly saw that I wasn't in the village any longer. I had done it! I was… somewhere. Where the hell was I? I was on my feet striding about the room when I heard moping of someone somewhere, silently crying.

I floated, not walked, which I found odd. "Hello? Who's there?"

The person continued to weep and sniffle. It was all over the room. I circled and circled and circled until my head was dizzy. This wasn't getting me anywhere fast. I took hold of a chain that was hanging above me, strapped to a old, broken rafter. I gave it a shake, making the links rattle. The crying stopped in a sniveling gasp, the person could be heard shuffling quickly somewhere, fading from earshot.

"Hey! Stop!" I barked out, my voice echoing all around me. The room all around me was the same, crumbling cobblestone all the way up to the old, broken, rafter. Where the fuck was I? I searched the darkness blindly and only felt cold stone. I was sure I heard the person where I was, but then again, the voices really traveled.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" I shouted up to the ceiling rafter.

Silence.

"Hey! Is anyone crying up there?"

More silence.

_Damn, I could've sworn that someone was there._

"Hey! If you're scared there's no reason to be! Help me out here?" I asked, thinking I was asking quite politely.

Maybe not enough, there was still silence. I sighed slumping against the stone. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Sell?" asked a familiar voice from someplace.

"Dad?" I asked perking up. "Dad, where am I? I'm in a small circular cobblestoned room!"

A figure made its way and leaned over the ceiling, next to the rafter. "Sell! Hang on, I'll bring you up!"

"Bring me up? Up from where?" I asked grabbing the chain as dad tugged it upwards.

"You're in the town well, my daughter!" he called down to me as he slowly brought me up with each yanking lift. "How you got there, I don't know. I and Lones have been waiting for you for a while now."

"I just found out about this today!" I barked up. "If you hadn't told Des and Toc where you'd be going I might've not been here at all!"

Dad laughed as another voice and a pair of hands helped him out. "What the hell, Rien? Are we bringing up a well fish? This bucket is fucking heavy!"

"Yeah! This well fish has a big mouth and a even bigger bite!" I snapped climbing up the rusting chain the rest of the way.

Lones looked over the side and gasped as my head came over the edge of the well. "Boo!"

Lones stepped back slightly taken aback. "What in hell's name...?"

I pulled myself out and over the cobblestone wall to sit at the edge. "Yeah, what I'd like to know too."

The man named Lones, a medium built man with grey slanted eyes and dark black hair that came down to his waist looked Sell over. "Your daughter is quite the looker, Rien."

"And you're quite old," I retorted making Lones look at me sternly. Dad placed his fist against his mouth to not laugh. Lones slid his glance over to my father.

"Quite the sense of humor too."

"So, here I am. What am I to do?" I asked looking to dad.

"There have been reports all over the news that's going national and saying children are disappearing." Lones spoke up leaning against the wells' support beam. "Not only children but adults too."

"So children and adults are disappearing for no reason?" I repeated. "What could cause that?"

"Eye witnesses say they would see a young child around the age of ten walking up to people and helping them out. When the child gets sick though the people that have been helping them out suddenly vanish." Dad said putting his hands in his pockets. "It's baffling. We've been here for a few days now and we can't come up with a single reason to any of this."

I tried to imagine what it'd be like. To be a kid around the age of ten going up to complete strangers for help. "What about the kid's parents? Has no one seen them?"

Lones and father sighed together on this. "They're dead."

I muttered. "Oh." Looking about the town I saw that this was the middle of the town. The very heart of everything. "How did they die?"

"Drowned right here."

"They couldn't swim and some robber took their money."

I looked down in the dark depths of the well where I had been. "They were pushed in?"

"Yup. No one heard their cries for help because that day was a day of a festival. Everyone was in the market square." Lones answered looking down into the well.

My mind went back to the person crying somewhere nearby. How I grabbed the chain calling for help up to the voice and heard it shuffle away. _It had to be the kid. There's no doubt about it._ "Where did they live?"

"The parents were divorced," father said turning to look in a direction down the road. "The father had an estate up this road here and the mother lived down that road there. She and the boy lived in a small apartment complex."

I slid off the well staring down the road where the mother used to live with her son. "Have you scouted both the places out?"

"I checked out the apartment. All that's left is the estate." Lones replied pushing off from the well support.

I started walking down the road silently as I thought to myself. _Surely the townsfolk are wary of the kid by now? I doubt anyone in this town would notice a few people missing right off the bat._ A thought came to my mind then. I stopped a passing old lady by gently grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry to stop you. Can you tell me something?"

The old lady looked up at me and smiled. "Sure, child. What might that be?"

"Can you tell me how many new people have moved into the town recently?"

"New people?" she questioned and shook her head. "I'm not quite sure. I do know of Mary, the sweet girl that was learning to be a farm hand. She lived down the street from me."

"I do believe that was one of the missing," Lones said turning to Rien who nodded.

The old lady went quiet and shuffled away when Lones said that to dad. "I'm sorry I can't help you. Good-bye."

I watched her go and gave Lones a look of annoyance. "You need to be more careful on what you say! If you say something like that again we'll get nowhere!"

Lones snorted and walked on. "Quite the tongue she's got too."

"Ananon would be mad at you if she were here," I muttered walking after him with my fists balled up.

Lones whirled around on me looking angry. "You dare threaten me with her name?"

"I have her heart in me. She gave me life when I died!" I spat at him. "I can say what I like in her stead!"

Lones shook from anger. He whipped his head to my dad and back to me not knowing who to accuse. I turned away and walked on. "There's no one to accuse but you, Lones. Don't start complaining to me if you feel like you just got slapped and you're not in your comfortable zone."

Dad stared after me and turned to his friend. "She means well."

Lones gave dad a dirty look before continuing on. "That brat…!"

I walked down the road until I ran out of road. Stopping on a grassy hill I turned back to check where father and Lones went but didn't see them. I scanned everywhere and realized that the town was gone too. "What the hell? Where's the town? Where are Lones and dad? Hello?"

A sob made me stop and listen. It was a very faint but continuous crying that traveled on the wind. It was the same sobs from before. Traveling down the hill side into a valley that pigs and cows roamed free I saw a river that twisted and turned away in the distance. A small boat was tied to a tree, bobbing in the water that lapped the bank.

I decided to go with my gut and travel down the river. The sobs seemed to come from that way. Climbing into the boat, I untied the rope and pushed off into the river's current that swept me downstream. Where ever dad and Lones were hopefully they could find me soon. Where the hell was this river taking me anyways?


	21. Chapter 21 Dream and Illusion

Ch.21 Dream and Illusion

The boat floated down the river silently, the water lapping the sides. Birds flew overhead but I noticed they looked a little…faded? The boat passed by a deer that was drinking at the edge of the bend. She didn't even look up at me. It felt much different here than anywhere else I've ever been.

Why here though? The boat hit the river bank with a gentle bump allowing me to get out. Pulling it onto the bank I stepped up onto the slight ridge and looked around. On down the river's edge was a dock that I could've gotten off at but didn't notice it until now. I walked over to it to inspect it for a brief second when the sounds of crying caught my attention once again. Where in hell were they coming from? Looking around I noticed a stone walkway leading away from the dock and towards a large beautiful castle.

"Whoa. What a place this is."

Heading down the path slowly to take in everything I came to the double wooden doors. What was the use in knocking? No one in a castle this size would hear someone like me knock. I pushed against the door and had it open for me. Stepping in cautiously, light flickering around the room from torches, I saw I wasn't in any immediate danger. Should I call out?

"Hello…?" I looked around taking a torch from a pillar. I held it out to light my way up the stairs. "I heard your cries and I came to see you. Come out for me. We can talk about what's made you upset."

"Everything's gone!" sniffled a boy from above me. "I hate them! I hate everyone! How dare they take my parents from me!"

"I hate it too, you know? It's a really sad story. Damn shame, really. I'm sure they loved you," I replied peering around trying to find the person to the voice.

"No. No, they had no interest in me. All they cared about from one another was money. It's all that they talked about!" the boy shouted, his voice bouncing off around the walls. "I'm going to get this from your mom. I'm going to get this much from your dad. I was sick of it! They couldn't have enough sense to ask what I wanted! They just assumed!"

"Wow, they're really single minded, aren't they?" I replied enjoying myself. "You don't like single minded people, do you?"

"No!" the boy shouted. "I don't even know why this world has them! They are useless to the gene pool!"

_Hm, he's quite a smart child._ "Yeah, I agree with you there. Hey, didn't you say you lived with your mom?"

Step after step I rose, getting closer and closer to the top.

"Yeah. So what if I did?" the boy replied going quite. "She didn't look after me. All she cared about was going out and drinking. Spent all of dad's hard earned money on ale!"

I was finally at the top. "Wow, she did that? That's terrible! What did your dad say?"

"He was mad at her," he replied coolly. "I wouldn't blame him. If the divorce would drive her to drink then why get separated?"

The kid wasn't there! Where in hell was he talking from then? I turned around and screamed when I suddenly saw the kid. "Dear Notch! You gave me a fright, child!"

The young kid giggled. His eyes were an odd shade of green. Not many Minecraftian's had green eyes. Not sure why. He looked up at me and ran off in a blink of an eye.

I quickly followed after him down the stairs, as carefully as I could so I wouldn't fall. "Wait! Hey!"

I saw the child streak through the door of the castle and into the grass. I sprinted through the door into the bright sunlight and was suddenly face to face with wooden bars. My chest throbbed with pain from running into the bars with all my weight. I suddenly saw the ten year old smiling at me on the other side. The scenery around us had also changed to a dark and damp place that held no warmth.

Where were we?

"Hmm. You're much different than them. You sought me out unlike the town's people. Why?"

"Villagers have been missing. It's why I'm here." I replied grasping my chest. "Where have you put me?"

"Nowhere special." The child replied shrugging and looking about. "Just a place I found when I was roaming about. Are you scared?"

I was a little bit. The darkness was something I disliked. I had always disliked the darkness. Something about it made me want the light. Any kind of light would do.

"I'm not too fond of the darkness. Why are you?" I asked staring at him through the bars that held rust and decay over the years of being set aside.

"It's always been there just waiting. Like a hug from your mother when you get hurt, how she knows you'll be crying. Or a warm hand to hold when you feel lost, you have the grasp of someone that will lead you the right way." The child replied staring at me with a long lost look, his mind going over past memories that he had cherished. "The darkness was always there for me when it all fell apart. When they got divorced over something. When I got bullied at school. Anything that affected me in some way I always turned to the darkness."

My heart felt for the kid. At such a young age, how was he to know anything bad was there? Something about his character wasn't right though. He looked real, like in everyday life, but something about him wasn't. He turned around halfway with a grin that almost split his face in half, it reached almost to his ears.

"You'll be staying here until I decide to take your energy. That should be tomorrow. Tomorrow to me though is in a span of just a few hours though."

I cocked my head wondering what he meant by that. "My energy? What are you talking about?"

The child turned back to me. "You don't know that Minecraftian's have energy within them? It keeps them alive. It's their 'life source'. Each being on this Earth has an energy about them that keeps them alive. Simple knowledge, girl. How do you not know this? Weren't you taught this in school?"

I shook my head. "I'm a bit different than other Minecraftian's. I was home schooled."

The child snorted. "It's no different. Your parents must be quite simple minded then."

I leaned forward grasping the wooden bars and suddenly got the shock of my life. I yelped letting go, sinking to my knees, shaking. The child chuckled and knelt down to my eye level. "Interesting. You're different altogether than a normal Minecraftian. Hmm. This changes everything."

"What do you mean?" I asked flinching from the painful throbbing that went through my muscles.

"It seems that I'm going to have to turn up the voltage of the Redstone to drain you of energy."

The child looked me over further before standing. "What are you exactly? Now that I'm actually focusing on you, your energy level is much higher than a Minecraftian too."

I stared at the boy wondering if I should tell him or not. "I'm a skeletal heir."

The boy's eyes grew big and a huge smile spread over his face. "I'll be damned! I've finally found one! A skeletal heir!"

I narrowed my eyes at his reaction as a bad feeling bubbled in my stomach. He drew nearer to the cage chuckling. "I was told that your powers were quite special. You could power thirty Dark Matter balls in one draining. I can't believe that I have an heir. You'll possibly power half that amount."

My teeth ground together. "Jackass! So this is what you've been doing to the Minecraftian's? Draining them for energy?"

The child gave me a smug look. "Yes. It's why I was called back to life once more. Who would've guessed that the Lord of the Darkness was fulfilling his evil doings through a child like me? Pretty ingenious, don't you think?"

My hands beat against the wooden bars out of anger. Fuck the Redstone electricity! I yelled out from anger and frustration, beating against the bars repeatedly. The child took a step back watching me. He began laughing and pointing at me.

"Bastard! How can he use a child like you? Do you know what you're even doing?" I barked.

"Like I could give a damn," the child replied folding his arms over his chest. "Now, stop wasting your strength, I want it all in the draining process."

I screamed back at him angrily. "Where are the other Minecraftian's?"

The child turned his head away sticking his pinky in his ear, cleaning it out halfheartedly. "Damn, you woman are loud bitches. I doubt you want to see the bodies though. Quite a magnificent sight, if I should say so myself."

He smiled pressing a pressure plate to the right of him that I hadn't noticed. A wall behind him opened up to show me a pile of dead bodies lying upon one another in a heap. I gasped as my jaw fell open in shock. Revulsion. Sadness. Pain. Anger. A multitude of feelings began to well up inside of me as I stared.

"Son of a bitch," I whispered shaking.

The child pressed a button on the wall that opened another wall. A glowing light filled the room as orbs full of energy floated there on ledges. The boy smiled at the sight of twenty or more orbs in front of him. "Oh, the energy. Look at them all. Aren't they glorious?"

I couldn't stand it anymore. These people, the Minecraftian's, were being tortured for their lives! The child turned to me smiling like nothing was wrong. "Do you know the difference between you and a Minecraftian?"

I shook my head stiffly. The child turned back to the orbs gazing on them like a mother would to their child, full of love and adornment. "Skeletal heirs and lords can power all of these in just one draining. Whereas a Minecraftian can only fill half a Dark Matter orb." He snorted pressing the button to shut the wall back. "Sad, how I would've had plenty of energy if I could've found several heirs and lords. I wouldn't have to go out and hunt down these stupid Minecraftian's."

My eyes glared at the back of the child. If only I had a weapon or my abilities. "They all have a resemblance. The Minecraftian's. Why is that?"

The child's posture changed then. He turned back to me looking interested. "How do you see that? Where?"

"The hair. All the females have the same hair color. The men have the same height and the same eye color. A few have the same hair color. Let me ask this. Your mother had green hair while your father had blonde?"

The child turned to the dead bodies and snorted. "Sharp you are. Yeah. Mother was gorgeous. Many men wanted her for her looks but none wanted her for anything else. That's where father was different.

She liked that about him. Everything about her seemed perfect to him. I can't figure out why it all went downhill from there. They were the happiest couple throughout the town. It all changed when I came along."

I looked at the bodies. Staring at them long and hard. "This is just wrong though. You know that. I won't forgive you for any of this. You or the Lord of the Darkness."

The child stepped on the pressure plate once more and smiled at me as the wall shut behind him. "It won't matter. I'm already damned for all eternity."

"Sell?" a voice from above them asks.

"It's Sell, Rien!" exclaimed another.

The child and I looked up to see my father and Lones peering down above us. The child glared. "Bastards! You're too late! She's trapped down here until I drain her of energy!"

Father leapt and sunk down into what looked like water to me. He was so near yet still far away. Something was keeping him blocked from reaching us. Father reached out to me but touched an invisible wall. He pushed off and headed for the surface. I watched Lones grab my father's hand and yank him up onto the grass.

The child grinned looking at me. "Once I send those orbs to the Nether your race, the Minecraftian's, all of Minecraft will be doomed!"

I glared at him. "How do you plan to send the energy to the Nether? All portals have been banned from use!"

The child smiled at me keeping that a secret. "It won't matter. It goes along with the darkness anyways. Hm? As for your friends up there, they won't be able to reach you. Not until I'm gone will this place fade. As if I would be killed by you or your friends. You can't get out and they can't reach me!"

I watched the child stare up at my father and Lones with a smirk. "You're hiding a secret. That secret must be your downfall. We'll find it."

The child giggled. "I'd like to see you try! No one has been able to figure that out! You don't have the time though but feel free to with what little time you have left."

I watched as the child disappeared into a dark corner. I looked up to my father and Lones, a feeling inside me that we weren't on the losing end. There had to be a way to get my father into the same time as I was. Since I couldn't use my abilities and needed my body for that I was stuck here.

"That…child…"

I perked up thinking I had heard someone speak. Was my mind playing games with me after seeing the dead Minecraftian's?

"Evil… child…"

I blinked. No I wasn't going insane. Someone was alive! "Ma'am, I hear you. I'm Sell. I need to know how to help you."

"Child…weakness…Sell….the moon."

I couldn't understand what she was talking about. The child had a weakness and I was from the moon? "Can you explain that better? I didn't understand that."

"Weakness…moon."

It suddenly hit me what she was trying to say. I yelped as I brushed the Redstone powered bars of the cage I was in. I now came to hate fences. I hated electrical fences.

"Ma'am, thank you! I understand now what you were trying to say!" I looked around and my hopes of defeating the kid went out the window. There was no way the moon could filter in through the water above. The water was deeper than a moon's rays could fully penetrate through. "How does the moon make him weak down here? Better yet, how does it reach through the water?"

"Nature…penetrates…time."

"Of course!" I could've smacked myself for not realizing it. The sun was the same as back then. So was the moon! The moon isn't affected by the past…much. I looked up to where my father and Lones were discussing a plan. "Dad!"

Dad and Lones stopped and looked down to me.

"I know how to stop the kid! We have to wait until nightfall! The moon rise!"

Father and Lones looked at one another skeptically. Lones didn't understand what my point of view was exactly but dad just smiled at him. "She'll be fine, Lones. We just have to wait. The moon will show the way."

I smiled. "Precisely!"

"How will the moon show the way exactly? It's high in the sky! I've never heard of a road or any such thing being shown by the moon!" Lones argued folding his arms across his chest.

"The moon is what makes all darkness darker. It's the one magical key that allows the evil to walk Minecraft in the open. The same goes for the child. His time gets over ridden by the moons light! It is past and present!" I yelled up to them. "Just keep near! I'll give the signal!"

Lones sighed, feeling all gung ho and wanting to rush in right then but father grabbed his arm and drug him away.

"We're… finally…getting… saved. Thank…you…Sell."

"You're welcome," I replied with a smile. "It's why I came here. Minecraftian lives are important to me."

"Savior…Sell…"

"Something like that." I said sitting there in an Indian style. The woman's voice didn't reply. Silence hung in the air. She had died. "May Lady Ananon be with you."

I closed my eyes lifting my head up. A figure stood at two huge doors that had a bright light shining through the cracks of the doors. The figure reached out to touch the doors but they automatically opened. Figures in white and gold stood in the door with the bright light shining all about them. They took the figure's hand, leading it inside.

I turned to see a line of people walking towards me smiling. I smiled back to them as they passed around me murmuring thank you's. The figures in white and gold welcomed the people through their doors. I saw the people were smiling and happy once more.

"How goes the fight, Skeletal heir?" asked a goddess-like voice.

I stood there for a moment wondering how to respond. "It's got its good days and bad ones. This was a bad one."

A hand touched my shoulder lightly. I turned to see Lady Ananon next to me. "You're doing your job well, Sell. You led the lost lambs of Notch to the Aether in one try. You're making great strides to becoming a great Lady of the Skeletal race."

"Your job is easy from here on, Ananon. Mine is different." I said patting her hand on my shoulder. "I and the rest of the race are the ones fighting. We'll forever be fighting until we die. You know this as well as I do."

Lady Ananon nodded. "Indeed I do, child of blood."

"That seems a suiting title for me." I said putting my hands in my pockets. "It has a nice ring to it."

"No, that title is not for you, Sell," Ananon said walking from me towards the doors that were opened for her return. "Your title is what all Minecraftian's have prayed for. You are The Prophecy."

"The Devil's Prophecy," I corrected turning and striding away.

"Yes. You are The Devil's Prophecy. Fear of the Nether and the justice of Minecraftian's." Ananon said as her voice faded away. "A different type of Skeletal heir altogether. You support life and death."

I stopped and turned back wondering what she meant to see the great doors of the Aether closing. How could a Skeletal heir support life and death when they only dealt with death? The great light faded and a thunderous boom rumbled the floor beneath me as the doors shut. I opened my eyes staring up at the water above, the light dancing on its movements. '_A different type of heir altogether? I support life and death?'_ My cloak that I wore when I faced maul came to mind. I remembered that it was white on the left and black on the right. Light and dark. Life and death.

"It was your idea all along. Wasn't it, Ananon?" I asked myself aloud with a grin.

**Hey guys!Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out!I had a lot of things happening in real life. My bf and his roommate moved out this weekened so I and my dad had to go help with the furniture. I helped pack and organize the boxes while my bf's parents cleaned up the place. Thank god dad was there to help, my bf's dad was getting bent out of shape from moving a few had to be out before midnight and luckily we got them out before midnight. We were done around ten that another reason that kept me from writing was my cold and sinuses that had smacked me down. My head was so completely pressurized I couldn't think of one annoyed me so bad.I put myself under several sinus and allergy medicines I was knocked out all week I put off doing a project that I shouldn't have and am about to rush into class a few hours early to get the project done.I'm never going to put off a project again. Only because I couldn't think of anything for now I have an ,I'm going to let ya'll bask in the glory of a new next chapter will be something to look forward to.**

**Yunalia~3**


	22. Chapter 22 Magic of the Moon

Ch.22 Magic of the Moon

Sitting there with an enlightened heart that had been worried about the dead Minecraftian's I now could focus on the child's problems. He was torn apart by his parents' divorce, by his mother's drinking, and by his father's hard work to provide the money for his son. Somewhere in there was the child's greatest pain. But which would it be? It couldn't be all of it, could it? I had no clue about divorce, all I knew was that there was much pain in the process.

'I wonder what really tore the kid up inside?' I sighed waiting for the kid to come back. It was turning night at last. Where was he?

"Oh the things I have to do to keep everything in order," sighed a child stepping from the shadowed corner. To me he looked well rested. I got to my feet as he approached my cage.

"Welcome back. What took you so long?" I asked looking down at him.

"Oh, just a small nap. I see you haven't tried to escape." He said looking at the fences that made up the cage. "Why not?"

"It's pointless. I'd be electrocuting myself over and over." I shrugged. "What's the point in that?"

The child smiled. "You have good thinking, unlike those other fools."

"Those other fools are innocent Minecraftian's that you killed for evil. Don't you feel ashamed?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

The child pressed the pressure plate and watched as the wall slid away to reveal an empty room. He gawked and leapt inside off the pressure plate. Consider this as a double step. Sell watched as the wall slid close, trapping the child inside. "Where are the bodies?"

I chuckled in the cage. "They passed on."

"How is that possible? This place is fortified!" the child exclaimed on the other side. "What's going on here?"

"You have no idea what you're up against, kid." I said putting my hands in my pockets. "I told you that I'm a Skeletal heir. Do you truly know what our purpose is?"

"Of course I do!" the child yelled back. "You kill beings like us!"

I scratched my nose. "Hardly. I destroy monsters that try to kill Minecraftian's. Not the dead that's brought back to life. That's something else entirely. I've never really had to deal with a deceased being before."

The child scoffed. "I don't believe you! I was told not to believe anything you say!"

"Hm. That's interesting. You'll only believe the man who enslaved you to do his evil?"

"I wanted those damn bodies! They were for the Nether! How dare you take them from me!" The child snapped. "I knew I should've taken them down before it was too late!"

"We all make mistakes." I muttered looking at the wall. "Why are you really doing this?"

The child went silent for a moment. "He promised that it would bring back the time!"

I stared at the wall patiently waiting. "I know you can get out of there. No fool would not have a safe switch."

The wall slid open and the child frowned. "You didn't try to escape at all while I was gone? Truly?"

"Yes! Truly! I'm such an idiot to not try it seems to you!" I snapped losing my patience. "Geez. You know not every person would try to hurt you. Not every person in Minecraft wouldn't want to be your friend. Didn't your parents want you to have friends?"

The child shut the wall back with the pressure plate. He opened the other wall up to look at the orbs. "It doesn't matter now, Sell, Skeletal heir. You're too late to try and save me or change how I will rest in the afterlife. Your friends can't do anything either. No one can do jack shit for me!"

I watched as the child grasped one of the orbs and held it to his chest like something he cherished. "It won't bring the past back, kid. No matter what he says to you. It's all just a lie to get spirits to do his bidding."

The child ignored me. His back to me. I sighed. I had to at least try to put some sense into the kid before all hell broke loose. "Were you always deceived?"

I watched as the kid stared into the orb at the obsidian color that swirled within the orb. "Not always. As time wore on though it got steadily worse. It got so bad I got tired of trying to see the truth. Father began to do what mom was doing. I couldn't believe what they were doing to one another. It's like they were a mirror image of one another!"

I stood there listening. In my head I could see how everything played out as he talked about it. I could see how this could affect a child of his age. The child stopped talking as his hands rubbed on the glass orb in the direction it swirled around inside. "It hurts. It hurts still. I'm still going on and my parents are still fighting with one another like that. They're lost souls."

Lost souls were spirits of dead Minecraftian's that continuously wandered about the land with nowhere to go and no destination. "You want your parents back like they were."

"I want everything back before the divorce," he replied. "I want my parents back like they were before. Happy and loving! I've been trying to do that for the past twenty years!"

I knelt down slowly staring at him through the bars. "You've just now started to make the disappearances much worse within these twenty years?"

"I met the lord of the darkness several years back. He came from a cave with a horde at his back." The child explained staring into the dark thick fog within the orb. "He offered to help me and I readily agreed. Over the years it wasn't so bad. Start four years or so back I think he demanded that I get more energy. He needed more. If I didn't he wouldn't make my dreams come to a reality."

My hands clenched into fists at this. The lord of the darkness was toying with lost souls and spirits. "That bastard. I can't believe he's been getting away with this for so fucking long!"

The child whirled around with the orb in his hands. "Sell, heir of the Skeletal race. I'm sorry to inform you but your time has come to be drained. It was a lovely chat between us. I must say that I hardly know anything about you but you know everything about me."

"It has been a nice chat," I said with a nod. "I would agree with you on the draining but sadly time has merged."

The child gasped looking up. The moon's light had been blocked by clouds that were rolling away now. "No!"

The small pond sucked in the moon's light, allowing it to be illuminated. "Father!" I yelled out at the top of my lungs.

"You tricked me!" the child screamed at me. He hastily opened a wall that had a dark cavern and sent the energy balls flying through the passageway where they disappeared. He whirled around just as my dad and Lones leapt into the small pond and sunk down, dropping onto the mossy cobblestone. Lones and dad turned into their Skeletal lord forms, wielding their scythes at the child. The child's skin turned a shade darker as he went into aggressive mode.

A steel scythe formed in the child's hands as his eyes turned a dark cold color. "You bastards are too late. The energy has been sent to him!"

The voice of the child made me get shivers all over. "Stop this, kid! I told you, you're not going to get anything out of this from doing his dirty work!"

The child ignored me and kept staring at my dad and Lones. "I don't care. This actually lets me ease my mind about everything. I enjoy it."

"He's too lost to save, Sell," Lones said glaring at him across his scythe. "Just let him get exorcised."

"No!" I barked at him balling up my fists. "He has to be helped! His parents are waiting for him in the Aether!"

"That's a damn lie!" yelled the child. "They're in the Nether getting fucked with!"

"No!" I yelled back. "I know they aren't in the Nether! The Lord of the Darkness pulled them from your memory and made them into figments of your mind to make you do this for him! It's you who's being fucked with!"

I watched the child grind his teeth, his thoughts going back and forth. His knuckles turned white from gripping the pole of the scythe hard, as if his hands had the answers he sought for. He whirled around slashing the dark tunnel that he had sent the Dark Matter orbs through. Moaning and clanking could be heard as mobs were suddenly filing out of the tunnel.

"No! What are you doing?" I screamed as I saw Creepers flashing from being so near to my father and Lones. "Father! Lones!"

I watched as Lones and father did what they could and rush into the mob slicing the monsters in half. Creepers exploded as they came from the tunnel causing the ground to get blown to bits. My cage got damaged by a blast, a hole that was an awkward shape gaped at me. I took the advantage and got out while the mobs were being dealt with by dad and Lones. I saw the kid escape into the tunnel, take one last look behind him and disappear.

I took off after him, leaping the gap that had been made before the tunnel by a Creeper and disappeared into the blackness. Ahead of me I could hear the child running. "Child, wait!"

"Let me be, Sell! I've failed in my duty! He's going to come kill me!" the child yelled back ahead of me. I could hear the worry in his voice. He was thinking about how the Lord of the Darkness would destroy him.

I ran harder, his running getting closer to me. I was so close I felt like I could reach out and blindly grab him. A hissing sound made my heart skip a beat as I instantly knew what was about to happen. The explosion sent me flying into the child, making us tumble down the dark tunnel and get further into the earth. I couldn't feel the hard stone any longer, just hear rushing air.

"We're falling!" yelped the child next to me.

I felt him blindly grab my shirt screaming. I grabbed him back around his chest and head, holding him against me as I tucked us into a ball. "Pray and it'll be ok!"

It was a hard hit. Took the wind right out of my body from everywhere. It was cold like ice. My whole body stung with pins and needles all over. I couldn't see anything but I felt thrashing, something was trying to swim.

My head was yanked up by a hand roughly. I cried out from under water as cold air hit my face. I felt my lungs suck in cold air that made my whole body shiver. I grasped the hand that was clinging to my hair and felt what it was attached too.

"Kid?" I wheezed through chattering teeth. "You ok?"

"S-S-Sell!" he stuttered back, just as cold as I was. "We're d-d-down deep in th-th-the earth!"

"How deep are y-you t-t-ta-talking about?" I asked trying to see where we were in the darkness. The water was all around us. I couldn't feel a bottom beneath us.

"It's d-deep," the kid whimpered. "I never wanted t-t-to be d-down here! T-Th-There's no way up!"

"N-Not p-p-possible," I shivered as I felt my head dunk under a swell. My legs kicked to bring my head back up. "D-D-Don't let me go!"

I grabbed the kid around his waist and began to swim. Surely I would hit a wall or something.

"T-Th-There's no use," the child shivered. "It's too wide."

I kept swimming despite what he told me. There had to be a ledge somewhere.

"_There's my dear child_," hissed a voice from somewhere overhead.

I felt the kid jump and cling to me tightly. "No!"

I whirled around in the water trying to see where the voice had come from. "W-Who's there?"

I felt as if something was grinning evilly somewhere at our predicament. "_You two seem to be in quite a pickle._" The voice purred in its hiss. "_What's this now? An heir?_"

My blood ran cold then. I looked up to see a figure with the same robes as a Skeletal Lord would wear. The eye sockets burned with blue flames that danced with glee at us. His left bleached and bony hand gripping the handle of a steel scythe. I knew right away that it wasn't Lones or father.

His aura was much different. Much more evil. My mind flashed back to when Ananon's mother had leant me her memories in the Aether. I immediately recognized the robe, the voice, the skull, and the scythe. It was him.

The Lord of the Darkness!

**Hey, guys and girls!**

**What? You all thought I wouldn't put in an early meeting between Sell and the Lord of the Darkness before the story ends? I would've put him in later but decided it was best now. Oh how the turn of events has made the next chapter that much more interesting! Ok, the reason I'm writing this small little message is to say that I'm not sure if I'm going to be doing a short story between the first book and the second. **

**I do know before I start the second book I'm going to have this story renamed to the new title I've decided on. Or I might do that when I get the story finished. Anyways it's going to be before the second book. So, before the first story ends, favorite or put this story on your watch list. Whatever it's called.**

** I wouldn't want any of you to miss the next installment of this little fanfiction. I know a good bit of you read this story. I also know a few of you like it. I've never really been any good with deadlines and the like but I'm going to try to finish this story during sometime in October. I want to get this story done before 1.9 comes out. **

**Consider the book one as Alpha – 1.7. It's pretty much up to speed on all the changes that have happened in Minecraft. At the end of the book one I'll list all of the mods I looked on while writing this fanfiction. As for the gates on the farm that Sell's parents owned…There was a mod that implied fence gates BEFORE 1.8! I saw this mod on Youtube by ChimneySwift11. He did a review on it. =3**

**So, as for anything else in the story that doesn't seem logical in the Fanfiction, feel free to ask. The second story will be 1.8-1.9. Exciting stuff. =3 Book three will be 1.9 – 1.10 or just 1.10. I'm not sure. **

**Anyways, the second book will have magic in it, where potion masters will be appearing and setting up shop in towns and cities. Some will even be wandering around Minecraft doing little things here and there. You think Sell will stick her nose in potion making? Hmm, the possibilities.**

**On a different note that isn't writing related, I'm thinking about doing a flash animation introduction of this fanfiction on one of my drawing programs. It'll take me a good while to get it drawn out and going but It'll be interesting to see. Almost like a anime intro. I'm going to have to try and make it as short as possible to not take up a lot of space on my laptop. I haven't done an animation sequence in quite some time so I'm going to have to relearn it all before drawing it out.**

**The characters are going to be hard to draw though, since Minecraft is blocky. I suck at drawing Minecraft block people. I might just make them anime characters instead, just so it's easier on me.**

**That's all I was going to say. Just a heads up on the future of the fanfiction. Later guys! =3**

**Sincerely , Yunalia ~3**


	23. Chapter 23 The Lord and the Prophecy

Ch.23 The Lord and the Prophecy

My eyes stared into the flaming skull eye sockets of the Lord. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He smiled, dropping closer to us. "_If it isn't the heir of Lord Rien. Hmm, rumored to be the Prophecy that Lady Ananon saw before she died."_

I felt the child grip me tighter, shaking uncontrollably. I didn't reply to his prodding. My mouth remained shut. The Lord stretched out a boney finger and touched my left cheek. I felt a slight twinge of pain, the warmth of something running down my cheek, a familiar droplet hitting the water. He draw his finger back that was scarlet and placed it within his mouth. He removed his finger to show it bleach white once more. "_Ahh. So it is you, child of the prophecy. I've been waiting quite some time for your appearance."_

I didn't know how to respond to that. I couldn't make my mouth or mind work at the moment.

"_You're quite scared right now,"_ purred the Lord. "_Why are you scared of your creator?"_

Rien and Lones hacked and slashed away at the mobs that kept pouring through the tunnel. Large ogres were starting to appear and make the tunnel entrance much larger than they wanted. Lones did a quick check behind him for Sell and saw that she was gone.

"Your daughter has up and gone, Rien!"

A distinct power suddenly hit them both making them jump. Their blood went cold from sensing it.

"He's here…" Lones said in a whisper.

"He's with Sell." Rien said gruffly. "What the fuck is Sell doing with him?"

"We got to get to her! She isn't prepared!" yelped Lones trying to clear a path. "Damn these mobs!"

Rien took a count at all the mobs that were filing in through the tunnel. "That child really did us in, Lones. This wasn't meant to happen. The future changed somehow."

Lones yelled out leaping into the thick of the mobs getting more pissed by the second at the blockade. "He did it for a reason, the little bastard! Get out of my way, assholes!"

"Don't overdo it, Lones!" barked Rien as he appeared behind Lones back. "We have to watch each other's back. Those damn Creepers have those strategies, you know?"

"I got you," Lones growled swinging his scythe to keep the mobs at bay. "Rien, we have to get to her! She doesn't have a clue what he's capable of doing!"

Rien's mouth went into a firm line. "I know, Lones. We don't have much of a choice at the moment and rushing won't help us."

Lones charged forward swinging his scythe. "Then you rush these bastards!"

Rien charged forward after him flanking his back. "Damn it! What did I tell you about giving the enemy an opening? Lones!"

My mouth didn't want to work. My body shivered from the cold. Why was he here? I thought he couldn't appear here?

"You only created us through one man," my voice replied in a whisper. "That one man taught six, and those six taught more. Here I stand today."

The Lord snorted. "_So you know your history. Very good. Did you know about Ananon? Did you know about me?"_

I nodded. "I met your daughter and your wife. I'm pretty good friends with them. It's a shame what you did to them."

The Lord laughed at me. He could tell that I was shaken up, not just from the cold. "_Well now, aren't you something. Too bad your father isn't here to help you stop me. Then again you can't even stop me as you are."_

I glared at him, taking control over my fear. "I wouldn't judge us too quickly, You're speaking to the Devil's Prophecy here. Anything can happen."

I felt my face get grabbed up by the Lord's skeletal hand tightly. I cried out grasping the bones, trying to make them let me go. He lifted me from the water with ease. I heard the child wail at him. I heard his voice hiss in my ear.

"_Anything and everything can happen to you, my dear. Not just everyone. Oh the joys of being blind."_

I felt his grip tighten on my head. "Bastard! You're not going to torture spirits! That's cruel!"

The Lord chuckled. "_You're one to talk. What do you know about torture? What do you know about anything related to us? Hmm?"_

I growled at him. "It's one thing to fuck with spirits but it's another to fuck with a child and use him for your evil!" I felt my leg rise up and connect to the Lord's skull, a cracking sound was heard as his head was snapped back.

The Lord began laughing as his head snapped back into place and moved side to side. _"Such spunk. You are truly something to replace my daughter. I like that."_

I felt myself get flung away as he hissed. "_Too bad you aren't yet strong enough to hold any role!"_

I don't know how far I was flung but the speed I was traveling at was quite fast. I wasn't sure if I was dead again or alive. My body had buried itself somewhere that was quite solid. All the breath had left me. I struggled to get a breath but my body wasn't over the dramatic winding experience it had just been given.

I heard the child screaming out as the Lord was now seeing to him. I coughed, drawing in ragged breathes. "No…Kid! Hang on…!" I tried pushing myself up to find it quite painful and difficult. Feeling my way through the darkness of the small cave that my body had made I found the mouth at last and saw that I had traveled a thousand blocks from the Lord and the kid.

My body went forward off the ledge of the cave, falling back into the deep, dark water that had an icy hold. I made my arms move to swim back towards the kid. I had to get there. I had to save him.

"No! No, please!" the child screamed crying within the grasp of the Lord.

_"Come now, my boy. You know you deserve this,_" the Lord replied with a hiss. No purr in his voice.

"I'm sorry! I'll do better next time!" the child cried and pleaded. "Please?"

The Lord shook his head as wind passed through the gaps of his teeth to make disapproving sounds. _"You said so yourself that you were a man. You said you would do what men do to save your parents. You failed in being a man."_

The child cried and sobbed. His little body shaking and convulsing. "Being a man is much harder than I thought! I don't deserve to die for my mistakes! Please?"

The Lord was enjoying his little act. The child had indeed gotten himself in a position that was over his head. It's a shame that the game couldn't go on. It was fun while it lasted but he was growing tired of the child now. He had done a good job getting him energy; the plan had worked like a charm to the Minecraftian's.

It was now time to get a new lost soul to use for evil. _"It's time to face the music, child. Have you learned from your mistakes?"_

The child was sobbing and crying so hard he couldn't reply. His eyes were filled up with tears that the Lord looked deformed. "Sell…! Sell..! Sell!"

I heard the child crying out my name. His cries for help. For me to save him. I was still too far away to be of any help. My body was at a loss, my energy to keep Projecting was being used up faster than I anticipated.

Overhead I saw a blinding light growing bigger and bigger and suddenly get warped into the child's body. I couldn't really tell what was going on but it went eerily quiet. I remember thinking to myself what would happen now? I saw the child explode into many pieces of bright light that faded before touching the water. _That can't be. That didn't seem like an exorcism. What was that?_

The Lord snapped his bony fingers together and the bright light that had burst into many pieces from the child's body floated up to him to make a small orb. More Dark Matter. _"Yes, I was aware of the energy you devoured to keep your spirit alive and going. Sadly, that's stealing from me. Nevertheless, you know your place now."_

"Jackass," I hissed floating in the cold water, staring up at the hazy figure of the Lord. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you and free all of the lost souls from your grasp! I won't forget this!"

The Lord turned to me, slowly descending my way. His scythe blade at his side. _"Oh, my dear heir. It's such a shame what happened to him. He sold himself to me though. This is what happens to those that don't understand the punishment for stealing and disobeying me."_

My crimson eyes glared up at him. "You're so sick in the head! I'm going to come to the Nether and I'm going to destroy everything you have there! I'm going to take back the Nether! I'm going to stop you for good and never allow you to return to kill innocents!" I thrashed in the water, my body shivering and weak.

He smiled, amused by my anger. _"Such spark. I like you more and more every time you curse me."_

I growled up at him baring my teeth. "You'll be even more pleased when I come there with more knowledge of my abilities! I'll fight you till death! I'm going to bring you to your grave along with me if I must!"

The Lord chuckled reaching down to tilt my head up to him more when fire came hurtling around us. I saw Lones diving in throwing fire as my father dove in from another direction tossing a stone that struck the Lord and caused a huge explosion. I sunk beneath the water to get away from the attacks and swam a ways before resurfacing. The Lord yelled out at them in frustration as Lones locked his scythe with the Lord's. "What the fuck do you think you're doing to Sell?"

The Lord unlocked his scythe and pushed Lones away. _"We were just making a promise to one another. We're going to be fighting one another when she gets stronger."_ He turned to me spinning his scythe and stopped it to point it at me. _"This won't be the last meeting, my dear Prophecy! We'll meet again soon."_

"Good," I replied with a grin. "I'm looking forward to it!"

The Lord chuckled shooting up into the darkness. Lones chased after yelling. "Coward! Get back here and fight us!"

I bobbed in the water feeling drained. I didn't realize that I was sinking beneath the water. My mind went back to the small child. I didn't exorcise him. If only I had grabbed him before he went further into the tunnel. _Damn it. I'm so useless._ I felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me back somewhere.

"Come on, daughter. Now isn't the time to drown on us."

I felt myself resting on someone's shoulder. I was too drained though to do anything. I was clinging to just wisps of energy.

"It's time we went and got her, Rien. The Lord will target her now," someone voiced.

Everything faded. The voices, the people, the place. I don't know where I went but it wasn't any place I had been before. It was black. Pure black everywhere.

I was suspended, hardly able to open my eyes. Voices that were sad, crying, in agony, afraid of something, wailing…I had never been to this place before. What was it? A hand, a small cold hand took hold of mine.

I slowly turned to the hand to see the child that the Lord had destroyed. His eyes looked pained and sad. Gazing at me with a lost look. "Sell..."

"What's your name, kid?" I asked horsely.

"Hym," he whispered. "My mom named me after something she loved."

"Singing?" I smiled at him. "That's a lovely name, Hym."

"Before I was destroyed a few pieces of me hid in your clothes. its how I called you here," Hym said grasping my hand. "Was that ok?"

I nodded. "I'm glad to see you again. Where am I?"

Hym turned around to look in the darkness. "This is where all Lost Souls go. This is where we go after we're destroyed because we weren't sent to rest."

I stared out into the darkness, listening to the cries and moans of the souls. "My god…"

"There's over three thousand wandering here. Including me and my parents." Hym said looking back up to me. "Sell, what will you do? Will you help us? Help us rest?"

I felt my hand hold his icy cold hand tightly. I nodded with my eyes filling with tears. "If it kills me. I'll do everything I can, Hym."

The ten year old smiled weakly and hugged me around my waist. I knelt down and embraced him tightly, tears running from my eyes. "I swear on my life that'll I'll do everything possible."

The child broke to pieces and away. His remaining energy that he had kept from the Lord. _"I'll be here waiting, Sell. You're the savior that everyone has been talking about. You're our voice that puts us to rest."_

I nodded to myself."I indeed do have a voice for the dead and lost. More so now than all the rest." The world faded from my view and cast me back to the living.


	24. Chapter 24 The Dark Project

Ch.24 The Dark Project

I awoke to mid-day, the sun casting a shadow of the window across my floor. The like making my eyes and head hurt even worse than it already was. "Damn it. I hate this. This is going to be one hell of a day."

I stared at the ceiling thinking back on Hym and his parents. My mind fell back on what the dark lord had done to him. My fists clenched making the knuckles white. "That bastard!"

I got up out of bed, not caring how I looked and went outside. Hearing my door click behind me I stuffed my hands in my pockets and walked towards the hospital, looking down so the sun wouldn't hurt my eyes as bad. My head pounding from the projecting, I had gone too far with it. My nose took in the scents around me, telling me that I wasn't alone.

The adventurer's that came just a few days ago were being taught how to farm and kill things to gather food and material's. The everyday sounds of the villagers working and doing their jobs. My heart weighed heavily in my chest, my job wasn't done. I wasn't sure if I would ever get it done. I had fought for everything around me with everything I had and I still couldn't kill nor touch the dark lord.

He had taken Hymn, slaughtered him, right before my eyes. Crows cawed over head as they flew above. Having been scared off from their roost by a villager. My legs stopped suddenly. Someone was in front of me.

Their shadow half the size of a villager.

"Sell."

I didn't look up at the person. I didn't look up when they said my name. I didn't deserve to look at them. My hair hiding my eyes and face. "What?"

The person took a step towards me, her shadow shook showing that her body was shaking. "I don't understand. I've been noticing a few things...Maybe not a few. A lot of things. It all surrounds you ever since you came here."

"Yeah? Go on."

"Why is it happening? What did you do to cause all of this?" her voice wavered. "Our village lost lives ever since you showed up! They would've been here today if you hadn't come here!"

The villagers stopped what they were doing to look up at us. My head slightly raised a centimeter or two to look at the woman's shoes. "I know this, Serdra. I know all of it."

"Then why are you still here? The village should've kicked you out from that first attack!"

Serdra's eyes brimmed with tears. Her mind thinking of all the lost and dead people. Her hands had the calluses from digging the graves. "I should've kicked you out when I first saw you fight on the back of a werewolf! Who, turns out, was Hel!"

My body couldn't move. I deserved to be yelled at. All I had done in this village was stupid and foolish. I hadn't once taken into account at all of my mistakes. The mistakes that I had been told to not do. Serdra grabbed me by the front of my shirt bringing me close to her. "What the fuck, huh? What the hell? Say something!"

I let my eyes stare into hers. Hers shone with anger, brimmed with sadness, and bore into mine, dull, dark, and unlit. "You and everyone else in this village have every right to be pissed at me. All the things I caused, people that I couldn't save. The death toll is much higher than I could ever expect. If I could turn back time I would."

I felt myself get brought to a blade's edge, it's sharp edge pressed against my neck.

"Is that your attempt at an apology? If it was it sucked! It did more than suck, it wasn't even a proper apology!"

"That's enough," said a male voice from behind Serdra. "Put her down, Serdra. If it's anyone to be yelled at it should be me. I was her guardian throughout all this and should've taught her better."

Serdra spun around with me, her blade pressing harder against my throat. "You bastard, Hel! How can you tell me to do something when you knew how I felt for you? Yet, you still went along with Sell in everything! You didn't even protect the villagers! We had to do it all when you and Sell went off!"

Hel stared at her, his blue eyes turning dark. "We had no choice in the matter, Serdra. Me being a werewolf, I couldn't accept your feelings."

"Yet, you accept hers?" Serdra snapped at him glaring furiously.

"I'm her guardian until she can get back home, Serdra. I'm training her and her team mate." He stared down at her, his face soft but his eyes were hard.

She pressed her dagger harder against my throat, the feeling of blood seeping from the cut and falling down my neck could be felt. Hel was at her side, holding the hand that had the dagger, pulling it away. "I said that's enough. Put it away, Serdra."

"It's ok, Hel. I deserve this for all I've done to them." I whispered. "Serdra, if you think killing me will bring back the people, make your village safer and back to normal. By all means, kill me."

She stared deep into my eyes as Hel held her hand. He looked from her to me. "Serdra, I will not stand here and allow you to harm her. No matter what Sell tells me to do and not do. I'm going to act on my own."

Serdra forced her arm towards him which he stopped before the blade could touch him. She tried to yank and pull her arm from his grasp but it was no use. His grasp tightened making her flinch. "Damn you! You fucking over powered bastard!"

He shook her arm making her get jostled about and drop me. I sat there staring at the ground like a zombie person. She grabbed his hand digging her nails in. "Let me go! I demand that you let me go or I'll put you under arrest for assault!"

He stared at her with a cool gaze. "Such rank and power you flaunt so well. Threats and sheer gloat."

She glared up at him kicking at his leg with all her anger and beat at him with her other hand. Hel caught it and held it still. She screamed from anger at him being pushed back as he slowly stepped next to me in a protective manner. "That's enough, Serdra. Look how you've become just from being over powered. It's quite sad."

"Bastard! You bastard!" she screamed over and over until guards arrived from the commotion. They gawked at what was going on and made their intentions of moving in to aide her.

"Hel, that's enough! Put her down!"

They drew their weapons at him with glares. I slowly got to my feet and touched his hand. I stared at them with hardly any emotion in my face. "Go get Skelar and the werewolf. I'll be fine."

Hel flicked his gaze to me for a moment before nodding his head. "Understood." He let go of Serdra and leapt over them where he had been standing. He landed behind them striding away. All eyes were on me, as was Serdra's blade once more at my neck. Her body in such a state of anger it was shaking much worse than before. Her chest heaved from her sad excuse for a fight against Hel.

"Arrest her and Hel!" she barked putting pressure at my neck with the tip of the sword. "For assault and unknown authority! She is henceforth a threat to this village! As for Hel, he will be slain. As for Skelar he is under an investigation starting from here on out! His werewolf will be put to death sentence too!"

The guards moved in to take me into custody. My eyes reflected their forms as they drew nearer. I looked over to Serdra as a small smile crept across my face. "Such things won't hold us. By all means, waste your strength and power on us."

She stared at me with a glare. "What the fuck are you?"

I looked away back to the guards as they put my hands behind my back roughly. "That I cannot say. Didn't I state that before?"

I felt her slap me across the face. Stinging and blood could be felt on my left cheek. Her nails had cut me slightly. I smiled looking where my head had been forced to look. "Oh the things Minecraftian's will do. I bust my ass to save your lives and souls from being taken by the enemies and this is how I get repaid?"

The guards forcefully take me away to jail. I found myself in a jail cell stuck behind wooden electrified bars once more. I sat on the bed listening to dripping water from the sink. I let myself fall on the bed to rest. My mind went back to a lesson that my dad had taught me while projecting.

'_Minecraftian's can be dangerous towards us, Sell. Never tell them what we are or what you can do. They don't like things that are different._'

I sighed. '_How right you were, dad. How right you were. Which means you've been in this similar incident before or something near it._'

My eyes looked out to the upper small opening of the jail cell that shown outside. I saw clouds gathering and a slight rumble. My nose picked up rain fall. A storm. What better night to burn bridges?

A howl rose up within the town telling me that Hel had been reached by Serdra's guards. I closed my eyes. There was no point in being held here in a simple little jail such as this. Hel knew what to do even without being told. I got to my feet as my mind sensed where Skelar was at and Rayr. They were with guards nearby heading this way.

My hand changed into skeleton bones and lit with fire. "I believe it's time to burn a trail home."

I had fire burning the electrified wooden fences that blocked me from getting out. Serdra was getting too boastful. The poor mayor couldn't do a thing, none of the guards wanted to hear him out. I could hear him yelling all the way from in the jail. "Hmm. I guess I'll leave the mayor to deal with the issue of Serdra and the guards. I don't got time to deal with it." I yawned as a scythe appeared in my grasp.

A huge explosion came from the jail ahead of Skelar and the guards. The jail was suddenly exploding in places and burning. The guards and Skelar stared in surprise at the sight when I walked from the flames calmly. The guards stared in shock as Skelar smiled. "Hey, Sell! You went a bit over board, don't you think?"

I strode over to them with my flaming scythe in hand resting over my right shoulder. "Hell no. This is the treatment I was given and it's the same treatment I'll return." A grin spread across my face. "Two fold of course."

The guards pointed at me with their swords. "What are doing? You have no authorization to leave! You'll be paying for the damages done to the jail!"

I laughed at them, making them angry. "What's so funny? Serdra will put you to work, freak!"

In the distance I could see guards bodies flying over rooftops and screams of pain splitting the air. "Seems like Hel and Rayr are having their fun. What do you say, Skelar? Shall we have some too before making tracks out of here?"

Skelar moved quickly putting down the two guards with swift attacks. "Let's go."

"That's what I'm talking about." I walked past him towards the painful screams, hand in pocket. "Serdra has gone and stepped over the line. I don't care though. Not our issue."

Skelar walked next to me with his hands in his pockets. "You think Serdra is killing Hel and Rayr right now?"

I shifted the flaming scythe a bit to be more comfortable on my shoulder. "Hell no. If anything Hel and Rayr are probably bashing heads. One way to find out is to head to the Mayor's place."

We set off at a jog, heading towards the center of the village. The guards bodies back at the jail, unconscious.

Serdra watched her guards getting thrown about by the two men who had ropes about their necks from the hanging that would take place. If only someone could throw the lever. She ground her teeth out of frustration. "Damn it! You fucking fools! Hang them!"

A guard got flung over Serdra's head then. She rushed forward for the switch but a guard slammed against the stand that the electrical current was running through and broke it. Rayr grinned at her with Hel standing there on his stool looking bored.

"Is this fun or what?" he gave her a smile that said more than she could read. "I do believe you have a scent of the Dark Lord on you."

Serdra held her sword in the attack position. "What are you talking about?"

"I agree. She is stinking the whole place up."

Serdra spun around to see me walking up with Skelar. Her eyes went to my flaming scythe and I could see the surprise in her eyes if her face never changed. Serdra placed her body sideways between us and our werewolves. "You're too late to save them, Sell. They will be hung."

I chuckled. "What hanging?"

She turned back to see Rayr and Hel not there on the stools. She looked about quickly to see them landing behind us as they fell from their leap. She yelled out at us in frustration. "Damn it! Why can't you all just obey me? Why can't everyone be the same? Why do you all have to be different?"

"Notch was the one that decided that. Not you. You're not God." Skelar spoke up giving her the thumbs down motion and sticking out his tongue. "Don't try to act like Notch. That's your downfall."

"_There is no downfall but your own, kiddies_," said a voice that made my body go cold.

I turned to see the Dark Lord striding towards us with a dark aura billowing around him slowly. Skelar looked over at him unsure of who he was. He looked to me and saw my expression. I reflexively held my scythe in front of him, blocking him from making any movements. Serdra looked at him wondering who the fuck he was. Hel and Rayr stood their ground, staring hard at him. The air was high with tension that could've been cut with a knife.

"Who the fuck is this? A friend of yours, Sell?" Serdra asked sarchastically. "Is he supposed to be scary with that skull outfit?"

The Dark Lord turned to her and laughed with her. "_My dear, you will be my new project. I'm very glad that you aren't scared of me._"

Serdra gave him a look that said she didn't quite understand him. "Hold on, what project?"

Rayr and Hel began growling at him. "Back the fuck off from her!"

"Shut up! All of you!" I barked making them go silent. My eyes piercing his. "What the hell is the idea here? We already met up once. What's brought you here to make Serdra your failed little experiment? Trying to bring me down?"

The Dark Lord's skull smiled. "_My dear, you have it all wrong. Don't you see her soul is just crying out for my helping hand? I'm only here to do it justice._"

"Bullshit!" I snapped swinging my scythe and sending a wave of fire at him. He blew it away with his own scythe and chuckled.

"_As feisty as ever. And it's only been…What? Hours since our last little meet up?_"

Hel, Rayr, and Skelar turned to me surprised. "You met him a few hours ago?"

Hel looked to him and down to me. "She can explain later. Right now we can't allow him to take Serdra."

Rayr agreed with a nod. "She stays as a Minecraftian!"

The Dark Lord burst into a fit of giggles swinging his scythe in amusement at us. "_Look at you all. You all are so funny!_"

Serdra put her sword to his skeletal spine. "I'm about to kill you. Explain what the hell you want with me, why you're here, and how the fuck you know them. Explain your purpose for seeking that bitch and her gang out. I'm sure it wasn't just to see me."

The Dark Lord's eye sockets flame dimmed. "_Hmm, Minecraftian you are half of. The other half is something shocking, my dear. Take my hand and all will be explained._"

I took a step forward gripping my scythe. "We said not to fucking touch her! She isn't going with you!"

Serdra stared at him and looked to me. "Does it explain what the hell she is and all she has been doing? And why are you a talking skeleton? How is this?"

The Dark Lord flung his cape up suddenly as flames leapt up to engulf them as the cape whipped over Serdra, the flames followed until there was nothing but a huge burning fireball. I swung my scythe into it a few times and the flames died down. Serdra and the Dark Lord were gone. Skelar stared at the burnt ground in shock.

"How the fuck does he do that?"

"The same way he got here." I replied under my breath. "It's really fucking annoying how he can up and vanish like that. I can't even do that shit yet!"

Hel gave me a sympathetic look for a moment before looking into the distance. His nose twitching. I looked at him oddly and also sniffed. Earthy farm smells met my nose. It wasn't the village. I sniffed again and smelled moth balls and dust, ash, and a burning smell. "What is that?"

Before my question could be answered the guards leapt up dazed and confused, wondering what had happened. Hel picked me up into his arms and sprinted off leaving Rayr and skelar behind. "Come on! We got a new destination! Home!"

Skelar leapt onto Rayr's back as Rayr ran after us. "Where's home?"

I looked at Hel's face wondering what he meant. I looked into the distance to see two figures beginning to come into view. "I don't believe it. They found us."

The figures waved their arms at us slowly. "Hello!"

I sprang from Hel's arms excitedly. My arms out wide. The whole situation that had just happened to be forgotten for just a moment. "Father!"

Skelar pushed himself up tall on the back of Rayr beaming. "Dad! Dad, I survived!"

Rayr felt him push off from his head and leap out grasping for his father. Rayr faltered but kept up his sprint. "Skelar! Don't do that!"

We ran to our fathers, happy to finally see them face to face again. It had felt like forever since we left home. They stopped walking and stood atop a small plot of raised ground as we ran towards them, our werewolves slowing down behind us. Rien and Lones smiled at us, happy to see us. In retrospect, they knew what we had encountered.

What we had seen. What had happened. I knew there had been nothing we could've done then but in the future. That was when we would justify everything. Our scythes would clash together, ringing the sound of an epic battle.

Behind us, flaming torches bounced about the village as people barked and yelled, others screamed. Our fathers embraced us tightly. Happy that we were ok, alive. I held onto father's arm, not wanting this moment to be a projection.

"We all ready to return home?" Rien asked looking around at everyone to see heads nod.

Lones and rien looked out to the village in silence before turning away and a teleportation appeared like the one that had sucked me up and deposited me in a forest not long ago along with Hel. As we were sucked into the teleport my mind wondered. If I had been teleported any other place, would all of this been different? The terrain below was falling away block by block into a dark void that spun around and around sucking the blocks into a vast blue pool. I looked over to Skelar as his body began to get stretched in different ways as he was being sucked away. The world blurred into nothing comprehendible. I felt the blackness suck me under, cutting me off from the light. My body being compressed and stretched in many different ways. I suddenly felt myself get flung out somewhere with the last of my senses before I faded away into unconsciousness.

Would I have met someone other than Skelar if we had been teleported to a different place? Would the person be a Skeletal heir or just a normal Minecraftian? Would it be near a town? Village? City?

So many questions flooded my head as the blackness over took me. My mind finally went blank. All that could be heard was the deafening sound of silence made. I felt a hand grasp mine before we were taken by the vast blue that surged up to meet us. '_Sell…_'


	25. Chapter 25 A Lady's Return

Ch.25 A Lady's Return

Des and Toc leaned against the fence line that went around the pen that held the pigs. They had their arms cross over their chests watching the front gate. Their dad had left not but nine hours ago. It was just about to be dark. Surely the trip to get Sell wouldn't take all day? The pigs oinked and squealed behind them.

Des shrieked leaping away as his tound touched his butt. Toc looked at him wondering what happened.

"Pig just rooted right near my area!" he looked at the pig with narrowed eyes. "You're next on the food chart! I won't forget your face!"

"Stop lying. You know all pigs look the same," Toc said looking down at the pig. "Look at him. He has that innocent look. In reality we all know its gay."

"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Toc asked his brother. He was getting no comfort from him. He had just been nosed in a wrong way by a stupid animal. "Hey, get nosed by one. Tell me how it feels."

Toc giggled at him when the front gate creaked open. They turned to see their father return, another head bobbing close to him. "Sell!"

I heard my name and looked over to see my brothers racing over. "Des! Toc!" I brushed past dad and embraced them. "I'm so glad to see you all again!"

Skipping a few things, there was much reuniting going on. I saw my mother and I haven't been able to leave her side for the sake of me. She tied us together with rope. I dare not burn it in front of her. I was shown mothers shop in town and decided to help her run it here and there.

Father however had the reunitement short lived. The very next day he drug me off to a urgent meeting. This meeting was held in the place I had watched him go when I had first seen him dressed and changed as a Skeletal Lord. The iron door opened with a creak, allowing us entry. I stepped in before my father and saw all eyes turn to us.

My skin broke out into goosebumps at all the aura's and feelings that were in the room. Suppression was a good term to use. It was almost drowning me. My chest felt heavy as I made my way over to Hel. He was leaning on the wall, his collar gleaming under the dim light. He turned his head slightly, cocking an ear down to me.

"How goes it?"

"You know already. Absolutely crazy. Mom's such an obsessive person." I leaned against the cool wall next to him. Their eyes still penetrating me. "This is creepy."

"Yeah. Creepy for you. I'm just getting the usual looks. Nothings special about me." He replied in a annoyed tone that I caught.

"You think I like the attention?" I said heatedly. "I hate being watched."

"That makes two of us then."

I turned to see Skelar leaning on the wall next to us. "Skelar. When did you get here?"

"Just now. You were too busy conversing with Hel to notice me and dad enter." He said thumbing the door. "Rayr didn't want to be in a small room. He can't take it. We left him outside."

"Coward," snorted Hel. "He calls himself a werewolf."

Skelar ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't think you're going to like this meeting today, Sell."

I raised a brow. "What do you mean? Why do you think that?"

"You're going to have to speak to them," Hel said before Skelar. "Everyone's eager to know about you. What you've seen. Word's gotten around that you faced the Dark Lord. Not once but _twice_ and lived to tell about it. No one has survived a meeting once."

I felt a lump form in my throat. "Oh Notch." I turned to see my father scan the room and give a nod to himself as if counting and seeing that the numbers matched before turning for the podium. "Fuck. It's starting."

"Yup. Let's take our places." Skelar said walking towards his father who was seating in a chair. Several other chairs like it were in rows looking towards the podium.

Hel took my hand and led me to the front far left side and sat down. "This is where we will be sitting from now on. Your spot is always here. Here or on the podium."

I swallowed the lump only to have another form. "Damn it. I don't want to speak."

The lights turned off. We were in complete darkness. Only lights on the edge of the room were left on and one above my dad. Enough light to not make a monster spawn in on us somewhere. I could tell everyone was eager to hear what I would say when I got up there.

He looked around to everyone that was seated. "Gentlemen of the Skeletal race! We are gathered here today to share a great happiness that has fallen upon us today! Our Lady has returned!"

The lords cheered excitedly. Rien smiled and flicked a gaze to Lones who only sat there with his legs and arms crossed. "Our youngest heir, Skelar, has returned alive and experienced. His father is as proud of him as I. He progressed quickly being alone on his journey. I hope that he shows what he has learned out there in the wilderness while helping us fight the evil on the front lines."

Lones bent his head over to his son's and bumped Skelar's head lightly. Skelar beamed at the praise from him and the lords. The lords looked at him giving him support and thoughtful words. The room went silent then as Rien's face grew serious. "That's not the only reason I called this meeting a day early. The Dark Lord of the Nether has begun to move about. He has plans. Evil plans for us all.

"I and Lones had a face to face encounter with him, as you all know, in that black cavern. My daughter Sell was also there too. She was the one who held him at bay until we came. Of course he escaped. Today we felt him reappear not too far from where we were at.

"It was near a village due North of us." He paused to look at me. Giving me warning that my time would come soon to be up there. "She is the only heir to come face to face with the Dark Lord and live to tell about it. But that's beside the point. I'm not sure what his plans are or what is about to happen to the innocent. We must keep vigilant in our fight for peace and keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual."

The agreed and applauded before settling back down. Rien cleared his throat before going on. "Our dear and beloved Lady Ananon has named a new Lady in her place."

"Who is it?"

"Did she reincarnate another body?"

"Notch revived her! Right?"

Rien held up his hands for silence. They all stared at him eager to know. "She is dead and will remain in the Aether watching down upon us. She has named the new Lady to take her place where she failed. I present to you all…"

I swallowed the lump in my throat for the ninth time now. Hel gripped my hand tightly making me flinch and his under my breath. "Ow!"

"I did it to make you snap out of it, Lady Sell." He side glanced me and winked. "Speak from the heart. It does wonders."

"Lady Sell!" Rien announced looking down towards me. "Take the podium, my Lady."

I stood slowly hearing the murmurs of the lords behind me as I shuffled to the podium nervously. Father placed a hand on my shoulder firmly and nodded encouragingly. "You'll be ok."

I stepped up to the podium as he took the seat next to Hel. Hel nodded to me as I looked at him. My eyes traveled to Skelar and Lones who also nodded to me. My hands clenched the edge of the podium and unclenched. "Umm. H-Hello."

Everyone murmured a hello just loud enough to hear. My voice suddenly left me. Fear gripped me so bad. My legs locked up. I felt like I couldn't breathe because a great weight was on my chest.

Hel stood then seeing that I had gone into shock. "Sell. We aren't against you. We're with you. Lady Ananon has faith in you to do her job. Stand up and speak on her behalf!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. My face went bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I've never spoken to this many people before."

Everyone understood that. They could feel for me. I looked at everyone still nervous but a bit less than before. "I'm Ananon, daughter of Lord Rien. I'm not quite sure where to start on how this happened but I will recall as best as I can. It was a few months ago when I met Maul. He was Hel's father."

I went on to tell them the story of how I died to Maul's pack. How I met Lady Ananon and went to the Aether with her. I told them of all the things that went on in the Aether and how I returned with a vengeance, dragging Maul to his grave alive. I told them how I attempted to save a tormented Lost Soul named Hym from the Dark lord and ended up meeting the Dark Lord himself. How the Dark Lord destroyed Hym for the energy he had stolen.

I told them about Serdra from the village that I had taken refuge in with Hel, Skelar, and Rayr. How the Dark lord had tainted her and warped her mind. In the end kidnapping her before our very eyes and taking her away in a wall of fire and flames. They all stared at me in shock. Father hadn't known about that but listened intently.

"Lady Ananon told me that it would've still been the same if she had been alive. Her death changed nothing but all of you. Gave you more will than you previously had. Her anointing me with her title she believed that I could lead you all sussessfully and defeat the evil that is upon us now." I was relaxed more now. I didn't grip the podium as bad. "Having faced the Dark Lord twice and lived to tell about it I'll be honest with you all. I'm as dumbfounded about his ideas and whereabouts just like all of you. But we promised each other that we would meet for a final battle in the Nether. I'll be damned if I can't get there. We will face one another and I'll take him to oblivion along with myself if need be!"

I bowed my head to them as I stepped down from the podium. The room erupted into applause so loud it shook the room itself. "I pray…" I said standing next to the podium looking at all the lords that applauded me. "I pray night and day that one day peace will be returned to the lands of Minecraft. No more hiding in the night from the evil. No more losing innocent lives just for evil deeds. No more funerals for a life cut short."

The room listened to me. I hadn't felt this presence from people before. It was deafening to me. "We fight so hard and take a step or two forward to only be pushed back. Forced back! That will end. I pray that the day between I and the Dark lord. Lord Hatos. He will fall out of power once more and be at peace once and for all to my hands! To our hands! The hands that have protected and shielded the Minecraftian's for years!"

The Lords applauded me more as I nodded to them and stepped from the floor to take my seat back. Hel beamed down at me proudly. "You have acceptable speech skills, my dear. Well done."

Father stepped from where I sat hugging me. "You amazed me up there. I've given you lesser credit than you deserve."

I shook my head. "Don't worry. I don't need credit. I just need the safety of Minecraftian's. I run off the peace that they enjoy."

He hugged me once more with tears flowing down his face. "Lady Ananon is proud."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "She is and also in joy. Her friend's morals and spirits have been lifted once more."

I watched father walk back to the podium wiping his face on his sleeve. He laughed a bit embarrassed. "She is quite the speech giver."

The Lords chuckled at him as they watched me retake my seat next to Hel. I let out a sigh I had been holding back and slumped into my chair. This was such a tiring ordeal for me.

"So, going along now with the meeting. We will now update our list of new information and happenings about the community of Minecraft. Anyone care to speak?"

Several men stood at once. One by one they spoke of their difficulties of the evil and talked about the good stuff. Some of their wives were expecting babies. Always a great thing to hear. Our forces would be possibly getting bigger.

The meeting was then dismissed on a good note. The lords hung about talking to one another catching up on things. I was brought about to each Lord as a better way to get to know them. Father made idle chat with others while I spoke to them. Before I knew it all the lords were around me listening to me and asking questions.

I learned things about them as they learned things about me. I talked of my whole adventure from start to end. They seemed to really enjoy it. It was more action packed than their own. As the hours dragged on the Lords began to say their goodbyes and leave for home.

It wasn't long before it was only me, father, Skelar, Lones, and Hel standing about talking. I yawned and stretched in my chair, tired from the recent events. I needed some much needed rest. My head was still slightly pounding. Hel placed his jacket about me seeing that I was tired. "You need to get home and into bed."

I gave him a weak smile. "I know. I will be. Once we get done here." I looked over to dad. He was talking to Lones and Skelar. "Dad, can I head home? I'm exhausted."

Rien turned to me and nodded. "Sure, sure. Hel, take her home swiftly. I don't want you two to meet the darkness. I'll follow behind in a little bit."

Hel nodded and picked me up gently. "We're heading out then. See you soon, sir."

He nodded to Hel and watched us leave through the heavy iron door. It creaked shut behind us and locked on its own. Through the dimly lit hallway Hel walked quietly. He opened another door and went up the stairs to a building that was a fake business. He placed me on his back and sprinted down the gravel sidewalk on the lookout for anything that would harm me.

"You did well tonight. I thought you would pass out on the podium."

"I almost did," I muttered resting my head on his back. "If you hadn't encouraged me I think I would've passed out."

The lights above the sidewalk flickered on. Our shadows danced about on the gravel as Hel sprinted along. I looked up ahead to see the house on the hill. Warm and homely. "I missed this place."

"It missed you as well," Hel replied softly as he slowed to a walk, heading up the hillside steps towards the first fence gates. "I missed having company to talk too."

I began to drift off under the soft light of the streetlamps. "I know. Dad knew it too. I'm glad to have you here. Back home."

Hel leapt the second fence gates that led onto the farm. He didn't want to let the creak of the gates waken me. Striding up the gravel drive as quiet as his shoes would allow him he looked over his shoulder at me, fast asleep. "Thank you, Sell. I don't know what would have happened to either of us if fate hadn't brought you there."

The front door of the house opened. A warm soft light from within the living room and the kitchen shone out. Aumi stood there with her hair in a ponytail wiping her hands with a cloth towel. "Hel. You're so sweet. Come on in and place her in her bed. It's upstairs. Second door on the left."

Hel bent his head to her out of respect and stepped through the door. Aumi closed the door and followed him upstairs. Hel placed Sell in her bed that was already made for her to sleep in. He stepped back and let Aumi tuck her daughter in and kiss her forehead. Hel and Aumi left shutting the door softly behind them and headed back downstairs.

Sell slept without moving or dreaming of anything that night. Her body and mind were too exhausted to work on anything more. Hopefully she would be able to sleep a bit more than what she was getting at the village. Toc and Des opened the door and poked their heads in to check on her once the coast was clear.

"You think the meeting went well?"

Toc shrugged. "Hell if I know. She's asleep."

Des tiptoed over to her bedside moving a strand of hair from her face. "Mom is much happier now that she's back. She's started singing again."

Toc stood against the window staring at his little sister through the moonlight. "I'm just happy that she's back here alive."

"You think she'd want to go around the town with us and see the changes?" Des looked up at his brother excitedly at the idea. Toc shrugged.

"Up to her. Remember though, we got work to do at mom's shop."

"Oh yeah." Des slumped a little. "Well, let's go and leave her be. We'll see her tomorrow."

Toc nodded and left the room along with Des. He shut the door softly.

Off in the distance, in another town, there was evil brewing up an evil scheme. This scheme had plans for several people that were not known yet. It was for the greater evil at the hands of a man that had risen out of the ground. This man was unknown to anyone. A tombstone with his named etched onto it.

His plans had finally been set into motion and he gulped the cool air with a hastiness that made him look like a fish out of water. He let out a sigh and a grin spread across his face with pleasure that went on within his mind. With a crooked gnarled hand and long fingernails, he grasped a gem encrusted staff and cackled as he hobbled his way to the mountains where the several people that he knew would be living there.


	26. Chapter 26 The New Energy

Ch.26 The New Energy

I awoke around midday and looked out my window to see my father tending to the animals out in their pens. "He's up early. I wonder where Toc and Des are?" There was a sneeze out in the hallway that made me jump slightly. "Spoke too soon."

I walked over and opened my door to find Hel sitting out there waiting for me. "Oh. I thought you were Toc or Des. Good morning, Hel."

"I sat out here all night on guard." He replied getting to his feet. "Breakfast for you has come and gone. Lunch is ready though."

I nodded heading down the stairs with him behind me. My mom turned around and smiled. "Afternoon, sleepy head. I fixed you chicken and a sandwich. Enjoy it. Dad is out gathering more chickens. Apparently we killed the last rooster without knowing it so we need to buy a new one."

I sat at the table and began to eat my sandwich. "Where are my brothers?"

"They are out in the far fields doing the wheat this afternoon," Hel said taking a seat across from me. "May I have a glass of water?"

"Sure, Hel," smiled Aumi and took a glass down from a shelf above. "Ice?"

"No thanks." He smiled at her leaning back in his chair. "So I here you'll be doing an obstacle course today, Sell."

"Huh?" I stared at him chewing my food. "What?"

"It's called the El-Anash Course. I hear it's pretty hard."

I drank the milk that mom had fixed me. "What's it got? Why am I taking it?"

"Training." Hel stared at the grain in the table. "Your brothers are also taking it."

"Hah. They'll fail," I chuckled biting the sandwich again. "They've never done that crap before."

"You'll be surprised. They've been practicing their balance." Hel said looking out the window at posts that had been stacked on top of one another. It was a simple training course for balance. He looked back to me as my mom fixed him water. "Well? Care to practice too?"

I looked at the fence posts and went back to my sandwich. "Not right now but later."

He chuckled taking the glass of water that my mom set down. "Thank you."

She gave him an affectionate pat on the head and went back to her duties. Hel gave a sour look to the ceiling that made me giggle. He hates being patted on the head it seems. The side kitchen door opened and dad walked in to sit down across from me.

"You ready for the test? Did anyone tell you?"

I nodded. "I know about it. Where's the place at?"

"In the desert far to the Northwest. The guy that runs it is a good friend of mine and is a Skeletal Lord himself." Rien spoke leaning back in the chair looking slightly tired from the adventure of yesterday, the adventure that I, father and Lones had gone on to a town and faced off with the Dark Lord. The same town that I found Hym and vowed to help him out.

"When do we leave for the place? You look tired, dad." I leaned on the table over my food staring at him. "Maybe it's best to rest for one more day?"

Hel nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think you should sleep."

Rien finally nodded at us and left the table for his bedroom. I looked to Hel who raised a brow in my direction. "This gives me time to train."

"It indeed does." Hel got to his feet quietly and strode out the side kitchen door to leave me with my food.

I looked at the food that my mom fixed for me for a moment. My mind went back over the things that had happened. 'Will she be alright? Why in the world would he take Serdra? Did they make an agreement?' The memory of Serdra being surprised by the sight of the Dark Lord made me scratch out that last thought. 'They never had an agreement, he just up and kidnapped her. What the hell is he thinking now?'

I finished my food before gulping down the milk and leaving out the side kitchen door. My brother's weren't here on the farm. They had gone to mom's flower shop to do work for her. Apparently she had hired a contractor to see about additions to the flower shop. More space to take in customers.

I stared at the fence posts and stepped up onto the dirt block that was two spaces from the first fence post. I stared at the slight gap and snorted. This was hardly anything compared to what I had been against. I leapt to the first fence and wobbled on it trying to get my balance. This was the problem with parkour, you had to have balance and technique.

"Not good enough. Start again."

I fell off the post and looked over to see Hel leaning on a dirt mound. I stepped back onto the block and leapt onto the fencepost once more and stuck it with a crouch.

"Now you're getting it. Find your balance."

I slowly straightened with a calm exterior and mind. I leapt for the next fence post that was a little bit higher and crouched onto it. That makes two. I dare not look away from the post. The fall from here would hurt slightly.

"Calm, Sell. Take it one at a time." Hel watched me like a hawk from below. He climbed to the top of the dirt mound to become level with the last fence post. I leapt for the last fence post and caught it. I wobbled and started to slightly worry. I was about to fall!

"Crouch!"

I crouched to the fencepost like my life depended on it. I slowly looked over to Hel who nodded to me. "You did it. Practice more. You'll figure out why people hate and love this sort of thing so much."

With that he leapt off the dirt mound and landed on the second fence post with ease. Not a single bit scared or wobble. He nodded his head to the dirt mound. "Jump."

I looked over to it and leapt for it. I landed hard. My foot had slipped from the edge and made me collapse on top of the dirt. "Oh my Notch! I really did it! I made it!"

"This is just practice but I hear from your brothers that the real thing is much harder." Hel gave the thought a grin as he stepped off the fence post to the first and finally stepped to the block that led to the first post. "I got to go. I'll leave you to it. I'll be back later."

I pushed myself up to watch him walk down the gravel drive and open the gate. "Be safe!"

He turned back to give me a smile and a wave before dashing off towards the town. I figured he was going to my mom's flower shop to help my brothers. I got down from the dirt pile and practiced a bit more. I failed several times and soon began to see that if I let it affect me I would no doubt fail at them all. It took patience and a clear head at all times.

I crouched on the last fence post just three or four blocks off the ground. I felt like I was ready for the training course. The real thing. I looked out in the distance at the wall guards that walked up and down the stone wall that surrounded us. A new figure took up the sentry while it's former watcher nodded and turned in for the day.

The figure seemed familiar. I crouched there looking far off into the distance, my sight better than the Minecraftian's. He kept his back to me at all time, as if he knew I was watching. As if he felt my eyes on him. He was a regular Minecraftian, wasn't he?

Later that night as I sat in the living room talking to my mom about things like the town, the flower shop, the market and so on the door opened. Outside were Lones and Skelar. I stood up allowing them in.

"How are ya'll?"

"I take it your dad is asleep?" Lones asked taking a seat on the couch. I nodded to him letting Skelar take a seat in a chair. My mother beamed at us all. "I'm so proud of you all. Heading out to help farmer's with their crops. I feel like a special wife and mother to you all."

I blinked and looked to Lones who gave me a small smile. 'Just go with it.'

"Yeah. We help out a lot of folks about town too, mom." I side glanced Lone who nodded in agreement.

"Call it hospitality."

"We enjoy the work." Skelar added. "Sell is the biggest help of all though. She got a small village to grow huge in just a few months."

My mom stood heading for the kitchen. She kissed my cheek as she passed. "That's the kind of girl I raised. Help those that are needy."

I sighed glad that the lying game was over at last. I took a seat next to Lones.

"Leave dad to rest tonight. I'll call the shots. Why are you visiting for?"

"We've called a meeting. Hel and Rayr have picked up on something in the air. Rayr alerted me this evening after speaking with Hel. They felt it about the same time." Lones whispered to me as he side glanced my mom working in the kitchen. "Something's up."

I nodded in agreement. "Has anyone else felt it?"

Lones and Skelar nodded together. "It came from the mountains. There's a pass not far from here to get there."

"Head to the base. I'll be there shortly." I whispered quickly as my mom began to return to the room. I got to my feet and walked towards the stairs. "I'll be right back."

"Don't disturb your father, Sell. He needs rest from all his work today. He's not as young as he used to be after all." Mom said handing glasses of milk to Skelar and Lones.

"Right." I turned from the stairs. "I think I'll go fetch Des and Toc then."

My mother nodded to that idea. "Thank you, Sell. I'm sure they're out getting drunk."

I left the house as quick as I could in full sprint. The path was illuminated by street lamps. I passed the way that would take you to the market. I headed out to the far path that went on the edges of the town. I could feel eyes watching me from somewhere.

As I came near to the beginning of the town I could see Toc and Des walking together towards me.

"Toc! Des! Get home quickly! Mother is worried about you two!"

A shadow appeared behind them without a sound. It approached us without a sound. "I've been on the watch. They were just returning home from their favorite place to hang out."

The two turned to see Hel standing there like a dutiful dog. I nodded and sprinted off towards the taller buildings in the town. "Get home and don't make any more stops! Mom will be pissed! Hel, come on!"

Hel nodded to them before sprinting off after me. They stared after us wondering what was going on. "Sell!"

I paused for a heartbeat to face them. "Meeting!" I turned and raced off with Hel at my side disappearing among the buildings of the town.

Toc and Des shrugged to one another and walked back home in silence. "What do you think she talks about at meetings? Who all goes there besides her, dad, and Hel?"

Des shrugged. "She'll probably tell us one day. I guess we can't know about it right now because it might be a bit too dangerous out?"

Toc gave that a thought as they walked on going back into silence. "I wonder if she has enemies?"

"Everyone has one enemy or another, Toc." Des said slapping his brother on the back. "Don't you know anything?"

Toc winced at the slap. "Now that you mention it, Hel has been closer to her since they returned. He's also gone in the daytime and only comes back at night. Where as Sell stays with us the whole day and night."

Des chuckled at his brother's thinking. "He's her body guard. Dad said so. He got him a job as wall guard."

"What's a body guard need with a job when he already has one?"

Des groaned at his brother. "Geez, you don't listen to a thing dad says anymore, do you?"

"I might've been day dreaming about Camilla or Tracey." He gave his brother an embarrassed look and was smacked in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Pay attention! Sell and Hel are doing things for dad since he isn't able to any more. Sell is even busier since…" Des broke off as his attention was taken by their father's friend standing there.

Lones strode towards them without a word. "You boy's know an awful lot about us."

"Sell tells us," Toc chimed in. "We weren't sure what was going on with dad but she found out. From then on she's been giving us information on things here and there. Nothing too great we don't think."

Lones stopped between them for a moment before walking on. "You two are her family so it's her job to handle family matters. If the evil capture's you for information, you're both good as dead."

The brothers watched him go. Chills went over their bodies from head to feet. They turned and sprinted back home without a word. Their sister had told them to get home, the words that their fathers friend had spoken had chilled them to the bone. Was the evil outside really that bad?

The door of the meeting room opened to allow Sell and Hel in. Shortly after Lones came knocking on the door and stepped inside once he was allowed in. Sell turned to the members that were just getting there or had already arrived. Hel flicked a quick glance about the room taking in the number of heads.

"We're all here now."

Sell took the podium as everyone sat in their places. All eyes trained on her. The lights were shut off except the ones on the edge of the room.

"The meeting has been called on short notice. I apologize for this in advance. It seems that there is something odd in the air today. I was informed by Lones that Hel and Rayr had sensed something coming from the mountains. They sensed it around middle of the afternoon or a little bit after."

A Lord stood then at this. "I sensed it too. From the village at the mountain base."

Another stood behind him. "It was felt on the other side as well."

"What is it?"

"What's going on?"

"Why didn't we sense this too?"

Sell raised her arms up to get their attention. All went quiet once more.

"It seems the ones that were closest to it could sense this. Hel, explain what was felt. Since Rayr cannot be taken into account right now."

Hel stood and walked to the podium. The Lords looked to the werewolf gentleman with alertness. Sell stood to the side not wanting to retake her seat.

"This sense was a strong tingling sensation that ran the course of my spine. Pins and needles pricked my body all over. This wasn't a normal burst of fear or some other sensation. This was energy that had seeped from the mountains. I've never felt something like this before and don't know how to explain what really went on inside me, this sense that came from the mountains is to not be let go lightly."

The Lords went into murmuring chaos amongst one another.

"Shall we call upon the others?"

"Is it that great?"

Sell gazed at them and sighed. "Ok, ok! Gentleman, please? We don't have time for petty worries right now!"

The Lord's turned their attention back on their Lady.

"The Lord at the base of the mountain. Gather your group and head up the pass. Check it out but do nothing. Report to me of your findings! From there another meeting will be held and I'll decide what to do. I'm sorry my father isn't here tonight. He's at home resting up."

Lones stood. "My Lady, the Lord's wish to know more about the idea of this plan that you have set upon the Lord."

"It's simple. We must not charge this unknown source without first checking it out. Once we have data on this source we will handle it swiftly." I gazed at the Lord's who were all quiet now. I nodded my head to Lones who took his seat once more. "Now, this meeting is over. The next meeting my father will be present to speak. Have a good night and be safe."

As the Lord's filed out of the door and headed for home I sank into a chair putting my head in my hands. I heaved a sigh of exhaustion and frustration. I hated to send a Lord out to check things out. I feared that he wouldn't be returning. What if it was the Dark Lord?

"Sell, it'll be alright. Lord Doyle will be fine. It's just a mission to see what's going on." Lones stood over me looking sympathetic for my sake. Hel placed an arm over my shoulders and brought my face against his chest.

"You need to rest like your father. I'll carry you home."

"Thank you, Hel. Thank you, Lones." I muttered feeling utterly exhausted by it all. I turned to Lones after being picked up by Hel. "Where's Skelar?"

"Sleeping." Lones murmured with a smile. "He doesn't need to drink milk at night. He gets drowsy afterwards and falls asleep soon after. He's on your couch."

Hel turned and headed out the iron door to return me to the safety of home. Tomorrow was the training on the parkour map but I began to wonder about it all. Was it really worth going? If so, how was I to use it against the Dark Lord? When and where was I to use it?

**Hey guys!Hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Sorry if it's slacked 's going to be slack until the last I've got this crazy idea of how to wrap this book up and get the next one started!Stay tuned!You'll enjoy this crazy twist no doubt!**


	27. Chapter 27 The ElAnash Course

Ch.27 The El-Anash Course

We awoke earlier than before and headed out in the dead of night. The sun was just starting to peak over the land ahead as it was coming from its slumber. Our band of eight trudged across the path that stretched across the land ahead of us. No one spoke as we walked. Hel strode upright near the middle of my brothers and I while Rayr walked between Skelar and his father. With the protection of two full grown werewolves and three Lord's with a Lady to watch over nothing would come to harm us.

My brothers turned to look past me at Lones. I wondered why they gave him such an anxious and worried look for. I turned to Hel who hadn't seen them look back.

"What's with the looks, Toc?"

They looked back at me surprised. I stared at them with no emotion. Toc and Des side glanced one another before turning back to the front.

"Is there something that I should know about?" I pressed at them for some sort of information. Why they were fidgeting with fear and looking back at Lones.

"I do believe that Lones gave them a warning last night." Hel looked back at me.

"What for?"

"To get home." Des spoke up. He looked back at me with hunched shoulders. "He also said that if we were to be taken by the evil you would be the one to deal with us."

"Huh. Did he now?" I turned back to see Lones looking out at the landscapes around us. "Lones…"

He turned back to me and saw my father giving him a slight glare. He swallowed. "I apologize. I won't speak out of term like that. I just thought that they knew too much about us."

"I tell them for a reason. It's a sibling bond." I stopped turning around to look fully at Lones. "I chose to do this and father was aware of it as well. If he didn't know about it then he should step down from being a leader of the Lord's."

He chuckled at my jest. "Sell, I knew of everything."

"Of course you did. You kept in constant contact with Hel."

I turned around and strode past them, down the path that we had been walking all morning. Lones and Rien gave one another a look that they shared often.

"Yes, Lady Ananon. Yes, I did keep in constant contact with Hel." Footsteps told me that they were following me. "If Hel hadn't been there to protect you, defend you in some way you wouldn't be standing here right now. It's why I kept in contact with him so much."

"You could've just told me." I kept my back to them coldly.

"It was a test though. I wasn't sure if you had ability within you or not." Father sighed. "You're going to hold this against me for the rest of my life. I just know it."

"There was a meeting called last night." Hel interrupted to change the subject. "I and Rayr felt an odd energy come from the mountains. Sell led the meeting and deployed Lord Doyle to head up the pass with his group to check it out and return to her afterwards."

Rien looked at Hel before turning back to Lones. "You agree with this decision?"

Lones nodded. "I agree with it. There's not much we can do right now. Besides, Rayr and Hel say it's not ordinary. I agree with sending the Lord and his group up since they live the closest and know the mountain pass by heart."

Rien nodded to himself walking along in silence. "Good work, Sell. I do believe that you'll be a great leader to the Skeletal race when I retire."

Hel side glanced him and then looked to me. This subject about retirement weighed heavily on us all. When father would retire Lones would go with him. Leaving his son to become his successor and I to take the lead role. For some reason the word retirement and my father standing beside it felt weird to me.

I couldn't see my dad giving up what Lady Ananon, him, and Lones had built up ever since they met one another and became the founders of the Skeletal Lords. I looked over to Hel who held my gaze. He could see that I was feeling unsettled. He gave me a reassuring look and nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Dad, when you retire is Rayr going to go along with you?" Skelar asked out of the blue.

Lones looked at his son and chuckled. "no. He's your partner. When I retire I will have no fears left in me for the evil to grasp hold of. If they wish to use me for evil I do hope that you, the younger generation, will take me from that life and place me on my way to our Lady in the sky."

Skelar turned away from his father trying to think over the future prospects. If a Lord stepped down from his position his abilities would more than likely go into a dormant stage. It's why most Lord's stayed within their power just to avoid the prospect of evil attacking them.

"Did anyone get the news?" Lones chimed in after a while of uncomfortable silence.

"The heir rates are going up presently. I'm glad about that." Father said looking back at Lones with a smile. "Sell and Skelar will have to put on a good impression for the young ones when they grow up."

I put my hands in my pockets walking ahead of them in silence. Toc and Des sprinted past me in a hurry all of a sudden.

"Take left! I'll take right!"

"Yep!"

We paused to watch them sprint towards two creepers that were wandering about a couple of yards away. The two creepers spotted them and began to run forward on their stubbly four legs. They flashed and exploded, sending Toc and Des flying. They landed heavily on the ground and didn't move or utter a word as bits of debris from the crater that had been made just a few feet in front of them began to fall.

Hel and Rayr strode forward to stand over them. "Fools. We were fine."

The brothers chuckled giving Hel and Rayr a thumbs up. "All the more clear."

"They just like to be blown up, Hel." I said with a giggle. "They like to be blasted up and fly every once in a while."

The young man looked at them and snorted. "Such stupid ideas that Minecraftian's come up with."

Toc raised a brow to his answer and looked over to Des. "I don't think he enjoyed that."

Des face palmed himself. "No duh."

Rayr helped the two boys to their feet before going back to the group. "Next time find more than two."

The brothers thought on that before I intervened. "Absolutely not. I don't care what can explode you higher, you are not to go near the creepers anymore. Mom would kill us if you two were to die."

"It'd be nice though," muttered Rayr.

Lones gave him a quick glare that silenced him. He looked back at my dad seeking forgiveness. "I'm terribly sorry about that."

"It's ok." I said looking to Rayr. "He knows I'll kick his ass in a heart beat."

Rayr's nose twitched at that. "I have no doubt, my Lady."

Hel over looked the words that went back and forth between us. "Sell, don't ask for a fight right now. That also includes you all. We have a destination to get too."

Father agreed with him and began to walk along the path once more. My brothers followed. I turned and strode next to Hel. Skelar noticed Hel place his arm about my shoulders. He hop skipped to walk next to us.

"What's between you and Hel?"

We gave him an odd questioning look. "Huh?"

He pointed to Hel's arm on my shoulders. "Are you two going out?"

Hel didn't understand what he was getting at but I did. "No, Skelar. We aren't going out. We're just good friends."

Skelar smiled at this and took my free hand into his. "Oh cool! Then I can hold your hand and say I'm not your boyfriend but a really good friend?"

"Uhh…" I looked at his hand holding mine. A hand grasped our hands and broke them apart.

"Skelar that's not polite to say to the Lady!" Lones reprimanded the young man giving him a hard look. "Hel is nothing but her body guard. If she wants to go out with you or has a liking to you in some way she'll tell you."

It suddenly dawned on me that I had two people on either side of me that had feelings for me. I shook off Hel's arm and sprinted off ahead of the group. Hel wondered what had just happened and looked to Skelar who shrugged himself. Lones knew exactly what had happened and gave a small chuckle.

"Ah, young love. A rose has thorns among its stem that can prick and make others bleed if one gets too close. The holder of this rose will surely step fourth to pluck the rose from its bush and nestle it somewhere desirable."

Hel and skelar gave him questioning looks on what he had just recited.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Yeah, really. Dad, what the hell?"

"We're there!" cried Rien from the front. His arm pointed to a distant palace that wavered under the heat that came from the sun.

I stood there on the path that went on around and past the desert. "There's no trail to the palace. Why not?"

"It's uncharted. It's how my friend likes to live. If he were to build a path to the palace he'd be asked for property tax and the like." Father said stepping from the path and walking towards the beginning of the desert. "Hurry up now. It'll be dark soon."

I sprinted past them hitting the hot sands. It seeped into my shoes making my feet gritty. I ran towards the palace and stepped onto the first dune. The palace was much bigger than I thought. It was several stories tall and a great distance away still.

I looked back at the group who all were trying to catch up to me. "I'll race you all there! First person who reaches the palace first gets to tackle the course first!"

The group called out running for me. Skelar, Hel, Rayr, Toc, and Des all sprinted to catch up to me. "Wait up! That isn't fair! Sell!"

I leapt off the dune and slid down, more sand entering my shoes. I didn't care now though. The group tumbled down the sand dune behind me as I was just running away from it. I looked back at them laughing as they had all fallen into a great heap. "Looks like I'm going to get there before you all!"

Toc and Des struggled to get up but were trapped beneath Skelar who was stuck under Hel and Hel stuck under Rayr. Hel rose up with a deep growl that came from his chest; Rayr was thrown off him easily. He started to run from the pile but was grabbed by Skelar who was grabbed by Toc and Des. The pile were drug behind the young man as he sprinted across the sand to catch up to me. Rien and Lones stood atop the dune and laughed at the sight.

"Good lord, look at that. He's like a bull that's charging for a red cape." Lones clapped Rien on the back.

"No werewolf can withstand as much weight that he's pulling in human form." Rien grinned to his friend.

"Nope. I'm going to have to agree with you there." Lones replied sliding down the dune. "Shall we catch up?"

Rien slid down after him to leap onto the lower ground. "Lets."

The palace doors opened and a gentleman with curly grey hair and shades over his eyes stepped out. He wore a simple white shirt with white pants. He looked across the dunes wondering where all the shouting was coming from.

"What in the world…?"

He perked an ear to every direction before pin pointing the sound was coming from his right. He turned to see heat waves dancing about in the distance. Was it a mirage? A figure appeared on a distant dune that turned behind to see about something before leaping and sliding down its steep bank and disappearing behind the dunes. The gentleman squinted his eyes and saw more people leap down that same dune after the first person.

"Get back here! That's not fair! You shot ahead of us!"

"Hel, can't you stop her?"

"You fuckers are on my damn leg!"

"We can't traverse the sands without you, Hel!"

"You fools are like a sand sled! The way he's pulling you guys through the sand and all!"

The gentleman chuckled at the taunts. These kids were certainly something and were getting closer too with each passing moment. He snapped his fingers then.

"Ah! Lord Rien and Lord Lones! These must be their heirs! What a lively bunch!" The gentleman said aloud to himself with a laugh. A woman with blond hair and orange eyes joined him then.

"Sir, a Lord is nearby. Radar shows that…" She trailed off when voices reached her ears. "What on earth is that sound? Who's coming?"

The Lord of the sands chuckled turning to her. "An old friend of mine. Lord Rien and Lord Lones. All those voices are the heirs making their way to us."

The two stopped and listened. Apparently there was one girl and all boys. The woman turned to the Lord in question. "Sir, why is there a female amongst the males?"

The Lord turned to her with a smile. "That girl is none other than Lady Sell."

"You mean the same Lady Sell we were told about just a few days ago?" the woman asked in surprise.

The Lord nodded. "Lord Rien's only daughter has taken the place of Lady Ananon."

The woman gasped. "But she's only an heir! How can she succumb to such a high place of honor so quickly?"

The woman watched as the Lord turned away from her to look out at the nearest dunes. The heirs appeared laughing and shouting at one another as the lead heir, Lady Sell, led them all. The one with the biggest grin on her face showed that she liked to have contests with the others. He turned to her with a soft smile. "She might not look it but she's quite strong and talented among the living and the dead."

The group finally caught up to me and amassed into one big ball of flailing body parts as they tumbled down the dune to land right at the Lord's feet. The heirs all tugged and pushed at one another trying to get to their feet but none had any success. They all stopped and looked to the man with a woman next to him.

"Good afternoon, heirs." Lord Doyle said in his most charming voice. "Welcome to the El-Anash course!"

Once all greetings were aside the two Lords stood next to their heirs. Lord Rien stood next to his two eldest sons as I took the end. Lord Lones stood next to Skelar with a hand on his shoulder. Hel and Rayr stood off to the side with their hands in their pockets watching the formalities in check.

"Lord Doyle, I want you to meet my two eldest sons Toc and Des." Rien gestured to the two next to him who nodded to Lord Doyle. "The young lady on the end-"

"Lady Sell. We've heard so much about you, my Lady!" Lord Doyle said with a bow in her direction. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person. I apologize for my absence at the meetings. I've been in hiding for a bit."

I nodded to him in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Doyle. I do hope that I can see you soon at our upcoming meeting."

Lord Doyle nodded his head. "I will surely try."

"Lord Doyle, this is my son, Skelar." Lones introduced. "He is my only heir right now."

Skelar nodded to Doyle. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Doyle returned the gesture. "It's a pleasure in return."

The woman looked over to the two young gentlemen who stood there with their hands in their pockets. "Oh! Who are you two?"

I turned to Hel and Rayr and almost forgot that they were there. "The one on the left is Hel and the one on the right is Rayr."

"Such short names and odd symbolism means that they come from the woods." Doyle turned from them to Rien. "Am I right?"

"Yes. They are werewolves but Hel is a genetically altered werewolf. I altered him myself in my own lab. He is a body guard to my daughter."

Doyle chuckled at this. "Such an accomplished Lady needs a body guard? Don't be trying to fool me, Lord Rien!"

"He is my body guard, sir." I said staring him right in the eye with seriousness. "We wouldn't lie to you."

Doyle stared at me with questions. "Why do you have a body guard if you're so strong?"

I shook my head to him. "I am far from being strong. I rely very much on Hel and Skelar to back me when I cannot defend myself. I am not so accomplished as an heir and still have a good ways to go."

Doyle looked to my father and burst into laughter. "She's quite modest about herself! Heavens me!"

Hel placed a hand on my shoulder giving me a look that I could only read. _It's alright._ I nodded to him and patted his hand. Rien left my brothers sides to step in front of Lord Doyle. "Come, Doyle. I and Lones have much to share with you. Ms. Mell, if you would. Take the heirs to the first course."

The woman with the blond hair nodded to the orders. "Certainly, Lord Rien. Come heirs. We shall go have fun while the adults talk!"

We watched her walk away from us off through the doors. I looked to father with a question on my face. He nodded to the doors for me to go on. I turned and did as he said, leading them into the palace. Hel and Rayr shrugged seeing they weren't needed to guard the Lords and walked after us.

As we walked through the palace we all saw that it was huge and very spacious.

"This is awesome!"

"How long did it take Lord Doyle to build this?"

The woman that assisted the Lord giggled. "It took him a few weeks."

"A few weeks? No way!"

"Toc, you wouldn't believe the grand clock was built in two weeks. Even if you worked on it yourself!"

"Toc, Des, no arguing while in a Lord's home!" I snapped back at them before turning back to Ms. Mell. "Tell me, did he get help?"

"Of course." Mell smiled falling in step next to me. "His family and friends helped him build this magnificent place!"

"It's quite detailed. Quite precise too." I looked about as we walked to the first room. "What sort of courses are in here?"

"Ladders, pistons, fence gates, traps, sharks… That just names a few." Mell replied with a smile of excitement. "This place is always being added onto when a new idea for a course comes available."

"Amazing!" gasped Toc. "That's just amazing!"

Hel grinned at the eldest brother's awe and excitement. "I'm sure you'll be too scared to do the course."

Toc and Des whipped their heads at him. "We're doing it! This sort of thing we excel at!"

"That's wonderful!" Mell beamed. "I'll be sure to watch how you do! You might become part of our professional staff!"

I turned to look at them and saw that they were in total shock at the sudden offer that was in their future. "Now they're even more fired up than before."

We reached the room which was barely lit. Mell pressed a button and a block that was glowstone popped out from the wall, illuminating the blocks for us to jump on before going back into the wall.

"Speed jump course!" Toc and Des barked excitedly. "Let's go!"

Mell pressed the button and we watched as they leapt one at a time onto the blocks that were illuminated in a succession by the help of pistons behind the wall. Listening to the sound helped you get the timing down of when to jump but it had to be quick. Each of us slipped near the end though and fell into a pit. Ladders allowed us back to the start where we had to go back through it once more before reaching the end at last. Mell was at the other side when we had all made it across.

There was a tunnel that allowed her to go around the course. We passed through the iron door that shut behind us, locking us from going back.

"Now the course gets much worse. If you slip you won't be returning. Only one person will make it through the course." Mell instructed us all with a grin.

I stared in absolute shock and fear. Were we going to die in the palace? Were our lives in danger? I swallowed looking into Mell's eyes. Something was indeed waiting for us and it wasn't going to be pleasant.


	28. Chapter 28 Deathless God of Resurrection

Ch.28 Deathless God of Ressurection

The elderly corpse of a man hobbled into the mountains. Before him lay a small quaint village where people were milling about outside, working on gardens, tending to the animals, or caring for the elderly. He hobbled on into the village where two woman noticed him.

"Go get Spirit, quick! _He_ has come!" the older woman to the right of the younger said gently pushing on her arm.

The younger looked over to her before sprinting off into a house. The older who had curly orange hair strode forward in her long sleeved and wool encrusted garments. She was Flame Ravenreaper. The second in command of her sisterhood. They were witches that had been living in exile within the mountains from the normal Minecraftian's.

Spirit, the head leader of the sisterhood, had foreseen this just days before. The man was the exact description she had given them at the meeting. Short, bony, jewel encrusted staff, and deep set eyes that had the intentions of evil. The man stopped a few feet from her slightly hunched over.

"My, my, my…You all are right where I left you. You all have grown so much too."

Flame set him with a hard look. "I don't know who you are but you aren't welcome here. Leave now or we will force you."

The old man gave a wheezing laugh at her. "So adorable. Where's your older sister? Where's Spirit?"

The younger girl that ran to get Spirit returned to stand next to flame. An older woman walked out of the house with a cloak over her head. The old man grinned, showing his discolored teeth.

"Spirit. Spirit Paradox. My dear daughter look how you've grown!"

Spirit fixed him with a narrow eyed glare. "I have no intentions of joining you nor do I wish to have anything to do with you any longer, father. Get out."

The old man chuckled scratching the long beard that had grown on his face. "Just as defiant as your dear departed mother."

Spirit set her lips in a firm straight line. "Don't come here spreading your evil. You were killed once before and you will be once again."

The old man burst into laughter. He wheezed trying to get air. "My dear! Such a funny child you are! Too bad your mother isn't here to stop me again. You won't be able to succeed without her."

The other girls gathered about Sprit and Flame. Together it made six witches that stood against the old man. The old man smirked at them. "such sisterhood. I would never have thought that you would rebel against me."

"Reality check, here we are." Flame growled. She raised a hand to him with a bottle in her hand. "We're going to send you back where you belong!"

Each of the girls lifted a bottle that they had on them somewhere. The old man grasped the gem studded cane tightly. His long nails scraped against the shiny jewels. Each of the women drank the potion within the bottles. He chuckled at them as they used their magic potions to have the upper hand.

"The Lord of the Darkness will not fail me. He sent me to gather your powers and use your knowledge to make him more powerful. So, come with me. You will be rewarded with many great things. Whatever your heart wants."

The women stared at him before flinging themselves at him. "Go back to the Nether!"

Green orbs flew through the air from his cane and warped the women away. He sneered and chuckled. "Six down and only one to take over the world. Hah!"

The old man hobbled out of the village, the villagers not understanding what had happened except one. The big jade eyes peered out from around the house that Spirit had come out of. She frowned with tears welling up in her eyes. "Sissy Spirit! No…! I must find help!"

She ran up to Spirit's room in the house. A note had been scrawled out for her. She picked it up and read its contents.

"Find the Lady of the Lord's that prevail above all."

The young girl folded the latter and placed it in her pocket before running out of the house. A man strode up into the village with a royal blue cloak about him that shielded him from the winter air. He puffed from his climb and rested there to get his breath back. The girl collided with him and fell back into the snow. He looked down at her with surprise before helping her up.

"Are you alright? I'm terribly sorry about that."

She got to her feet with his help and brushed off the snow. Her eyes went up to a symbol that was engraved on his cloak. That of a reaper. She gasped taking a step from him. "That symbol. You are a reaper?"

He gave her a soft look. "You know of the Lord's?"

She took the note from her pocket and handed it to him. "I think what Sister meant was you."

Lord Doyle took the note and read it. He shook his head at her. "Not me. Lady Sell. Come, I shall take you to her."

The Lord took the girls hand and led her from the village towards the town that Sell and her father lived in.

I and a few of the others had made it through the rooms that Mell had taken them through. We had face terrifying heights, lava, arrow dispensers, doors that open and close as you leapt across them, and many others. I, Hel, Rayr, Toc and Des had all made it to the twelfth room. Skelar had faultered in the room they had just left. He had fallen into the dark and wasn't heard from again.

Hel grasped my shoulder with encouragement. "We can get through this."

I nodded to him. "I'm glad you made it through."

Toc and Des opened the door of the room. It looked like the Nether. I gasped as I saw ghasts flying above with wraiths too. My brothers had never seen ghasts nor the Nether. I grabbed them both and pulled them to where I and Hel were.

"What the hell are they doing here?"

Hel and Rayr looked at them. Rayr turned to Hel perplexed. "What are they?"

"Those are ghasts. The big white things. The ghoul looking type is a wraith." Hel pointed to both for him.

"Ghasts and wraiths can take over a Minecraftian. They will possess them." I said turning to them looking serious. We looked at the ghasts and wraiths moaning and crying out above. "Toc, Des, you two will go first. Hel, Rayr, and I will take the rear."

Mell smiled over at my planning. "Why are you sending them out first?"

"Because they are not Skeletal heirs. They are just Minecraftian's. Hel will look after Toc while Rayr will look after Des. I'll go on by myself."

Hel looked a tad uncomfortable with that idea but nodded in agreement at last. I turned to Mell who seemed to be thinking over my decision. She smiled at me before turning away and looking at the room.

"I thought that they were capable of defending themselves."

"They are." I stepped next to her looking at the course. "I just like to protect the family. They mean a lot to me. Everyone does."

"Of course." Mell nodded in agreement. She flicked her eyes to Des and Toc as they readied themselves. "I thought they would be dead though. If they aren't of the blood line."

"Father isn't that strict. He needed to have helpers on the farm." I replied tugging on my leather gloves. "I can't take care of everything around the farm if I were the only one to survive if there were such a code. Father and I would be struggling."

Mell didn't reply. She stared at them as Toc leapt on the course first followed by Hel. As they moved with swift jumps the ghasts began to cry out and flinging fire at them.

"Go, Toc!" Hel barked as Toc started to get scared.

Toc leapt as the ghasts flung fireballs around them. Toc and Hel reached the other side safely before retreating under the cobblestone hallway. I turned to Rayr and Des nodding to them. They went across leaping from one ladder to another. Des leapt for the last ladder when a well-timed fireball struck him, sending him flying away and fall into the darkness below.

"Des!" we all cried out at once.

Mell chuckled. "I knew he wouldn't make it. He's a Minecraftian after all."

Hel and Rayr heard that and glared at her. I watched as Rayr reached the other side to stand next to Hel. They all looked to me. It was my turn. With the ghasts and wraiths on alert I knew it was going to be harder.

I leapt to the first ladder. The ghasts cried out and began to launch a torrent of fire about me. The wraiths growled dropping towards me. A crooked grin spread across my face. My clothes changed into a black and white cloak, my eyes glowing.

My brother gasped at my change, the first time to witness it. The ghast began to come closer around me. I looked ahead to see where I was to jump when a wraith came into my view. I sprang swinging my scythe that materialized in my hands. The wraith dropped away in two and I landed on the next ladder, holding onto it with one hand.

"Yeah!" cheered Toc fisting the air. "That's the way!"

I climbed to the top of the ladder to only come face to face with a ghast. I sliced the air as it spat out a fireball and sent it back making the ghast cry out in pain and retreat above. I snorted leaping to the next ladder and to the next. I was almost to the other side. The ghasts began to swarm about me along with the wraiths.

They blocked my way of moving on. I grasped my scythe looking at them. The wraiths dove for me as the ghasts threw fireballs at me all at once.

"Sell!" yelled Toc.

Hel sprang from where he was, leaping from ladder to ladder. "Sell!"

The fireballs exploded upon impact with one another. Smoke billowed up and disappeared. The wraiths paused in the air with moans as the ghasts floated away, allowing them to see that I was no longer there. Mell began laughing. Rayr and Toc stared at the destroyed block that the ladder had been on.

"I knew she wasn't so modest!" cackled Mell falling against the wall. "Doyle, the fool! He hardly believes the truth when he's told though!"

Hel growled at her getting to his feet. "What the hell is all this?"

Mell grinned at them. "This is no training course. It's to take Minecraftian's and to send them to the Nether where our lord takes them and uses them as he see's fit." She gestured to the darkness below them. "Your dear Lady is no longer up here but down there."

Rayr roared at her in anger. "You bastards!"

She wagged her finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, werewolf. You'll also be joining her somewhere along this course. All of you will."

A blade touched Mell's neck out of the shadows behind her. Two eyes illuminated the darkness to show a skeletal head floating there. Mell froze while the others stared in surprise.

"I don't believe I said I give up just yet," hissed the skeletal head as the scythe was pressed against her neck harder. "Now I know why this place has its uses."

Mell smiled. "How did you get out of that?"

"That wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?" The skeletal head approached closer to show it's full body. "Hel, Rayr, we're going to the Nether. Isn't that right, Mell?"

Mell flicked her eyes to them with a smile. "You'll be going anyways. Besides, you don't know where the doorway out is at. Tthere's several around the Nether."

Hel and Rayr cracked their knuckles. "We don't give a damn! We're going to get Des and Skelar back!"

I grabbed Mell by the back of the neck and flung her away. Hel grasped her by the waist in a bear hug in his werewolf form. He flung her to the other side where she landed heavily. Rayr grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up. "How dare you do this to us."

She gasped grabbing his hand and smiled. "I'll do a lot more to you all if you'll let me."

The ghasts shrieked at the sudden flames that erupted from my body. I floated from the beginning side to the end where I touched down before her. My eyes blazing with anger. "Take us to the Nether gate. To the very same one that Des and Skelar used."

Mell stared at me. We stood in silence for a moment until she nodded. "I'll take you."

We walked down the secret corridor, Hel behind her, I was in the middle with Rayr behind me and Toc taking the rear. We walked in silence. The only thing that could be heard was our breathing and footsteps that echoed around us. We descended into the darkness. My scythe lit with fire to illuminate the area around us.

Ghasts and wraiths moaned and cried around us. They fled from the light that burned brightly within my hand. Mell even squinted her eyes at it in revolt.

"By the way. Where's Lones and my father?" I asked in a hard tone.

Mell walked on not replying. Hel looked back at me wrinkling his nose slightly. I shook my head to him. He turned back following in silence.

"Lord Doyle has plans for them. It doesn't concern you so don't ask."

I stared at her back in silence. "Very well. How much further to the portal?"

Below I could hear screams and agonizing cries. It was the Nether portal. The very same one that Ananon had faced when going against her father. The sound that I couldn't shake. Looking down I could see purple particles being sucked into the purple haze that swirled about within the obsidian door frame. Toc grasped Rayr out of fear. "We're going in there?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Stay close."

"Have you been there?" Toc asked looking around Rayr at me.

I shook my head. "I haven't but a certain someone has. I know what's on the other side."

Mell chuckled with a grin. "Do you, Lady Sell?"

I pushed her along with the end of the scythe pole. "Get going. We don't have all day."

We stood before the portal. Mell stepped in with Hel. I pushed Toc in with Rayr. Looking about with the flaming scythe for any other enemy I then entered the purple spiraling haze that sucked me away into its own world full of death, agony, lies, and wandering spirits. I stepped onto the blood red soil, the portal crying and howling behind me.

I turned my eyes to the world around me and saw that the Nether had been transformed. We stood at the front door of a castle that seemed to sprawl all across the Nether. I smirked shouldering my scythe as Hel stood with Mell waiting for my order.

I strode forward feeling very nostalgic. "Show us where you sent them, Mell. Or everything of the Nether will be destroyed. Along with your Dark Lord."

Her eyes pierced my flames that looked past her. She turned and strode through the doors of the castle. Hel followed after closely. I looked out at the vast lava pools that stretched from one cavern to the next. Wraiths and ghasts floating about crying out and moaning.

I had returned to the same place, in a different spot and as a different person. Yet Lady Ananon's job was still not done. I strode through the doors with Toc and Rayr behind me. Up ahead the hallway began to break away as if it had been destroyed to show us the Nether Gate. The Gate that two fire ogre brothers guarded.


	29. Chapter 29 The Realm of Hatos

Ch.29 The Realm of Hatos

The two fire ogre's stared down at Sell, their massive hands clenching and unclenching. "What do you want here, Lady Sell?"

"Oh, so you know of me? How nice. I won't have to introduce myself then." I said spinning my scythe before grasping it defensively. "Open up. I came to get my brother and a Skeletal Heir back."

"Just you or your friends too?" the second ogre asked. "It's different if just you go through but if you say you and your friends then that means –"

"Of course me and my friends!" I snapped. "You sound so stupid."

"Ogre's naturally are," Hel said stepping up next to me. "Not one ounce of intelligence."

The ogre brothers growled at him, showing us their misshapen, yellow teeth. "Werewolf, you got some nerve…!"

"I'm not a werewolf. Not a pure one anyway. I've been genetically altered." Hel said with a grin as he popped his knuckles. "I'll take you both on."

The brothers rose to their full height. Threats were something they didn't tolerate. "Don't be sad when your soul gets sent to our Lord."

"I wouldn't say that will happen," spoke a voice behind us.

We all turned to see my father and Lones in tattered cloaks in their skeletal forms. The ogre brothers narrowed their eyes. "Why are you two here? There's no reason to be here!"

"On the contrary. There is," Rien pointed out. "My daughter, Sell. Your Lord has taken my other eldest son and Lones only child. It's why we're here."

The ogre brothers hissed and growled at one another before turning back to us. "Denied!"

I, Rien, and Lones grasped our scythes in an attack stance. "Don't deny us entry, we'll make us one!"

Hel and Rayr growled as they shifted into their werewolf forms. Hel leapt at the ogre brothers. The brothers returned the attack and grappled with him. Muscles bulged within Hel's upper arms and torso. He snarled and grabbed both arms of the ogre brothers.

He roared out flinging them over our heads and into the Nether wall. The brothers destroyed the ground with their massive fists that sent up flames. The ogre's roared at him. Hel looked to me and motioned to the gate that was behind him.

"Keep them busy, Hel!" I barked as I dealt with the gate.

There were four buttons on a wall. I looked at father and Lones for help. "Combination!"

Rien strode forward to press the two buttons that were needed. The gate opened for us. There was a thunderous shake from a huge crash behind us. We turned back to see Hel had thrown an ogre brother into the wall once more while the other had brought his fists down upon Hel, exploding the ground where they had stood. Hel landed in a crouch, slightly scuffed and singed in places. He growled at them.

"Let's go. Times wasting," I ordered turning around and sprinting away down the path. Rayr watched Hel take on the two ogre's by himself.

"Hel, you better beat them shitless!"

Hel smirked back at him. "_Get going!"_

Rayr turned and sprinted after us. Hel glared at the two brothers that had gathered themselves up.

"It's time to stop fooling about. We've underestimated you."

Hel grinned. "_It only gets better here on out."_

The three roared out sprinting at each other for another round.

The path that we followed snaked this way and that throughout the Nether. Ahead was a castle that I felt the Lord of the Darkness inhabited. Father floated beside me not saying a word. All of us worried about Skelar and Des. Wondered what the Dark Lord would do to them.

The mere thought of the Dark Lord pushed me to not stop.

"Dad, if the worse should happen I want you to take everyone back home."

My father turned to me. "No. I've long before decided that it will be I who stays if the worse should happen. You need to lead the others. I've already told you that."

"You lead the others while I and your father fight the evil," Lones spoke up on the other side of me. "Sell, they believe in you. We all do. The evil fears you so why think that the worse should befall us?"

A strong and horrible energy hit us then. We all halted staring in the direction it had come from but there was a solid wall of Netherrack there.

"What the hell was that?" Rien asked out loud.

"_The same energy that I and Hel felt_," Rayr growled stepping forward. "_It's something from the mountains."_

Lones and Rien looked at one another as I sprinted forward towards the castle. "Sell!"

They all went after me. "Sell, wait!"

"It's neither Skelar nor Des! Whatever it is the Dark Lord is benefiting from this no doubt!" I yelled out to them behind me.

I hit the doors of the castle and flung them open. A creature that resembled a tornado with orange disks of fire flying about it cried out at me throwing fire balls. I slammed the door to block the attack. The door burst into flames making me back away. Rien and Lones stared at the door as the pigmen broke it down.

"Seems this is our welcome party." Lones spun his scythe and slaughtered the pigmen that squealed loudly in pain. The same squeal that alerted other pigmen about the Nether to avenge the death.

"It seems he's added more creatures," smiled Rien as he destroyed the flaming tornado creature. "Also done some nice remodeling."

Toc stared at the corridor that was slightly dark that stretched before us. "Oh my Notch! Why are we having to go in here for?"

"Because, this is the way they were brought," Mell spoke up. "Take a right up ahead."

I turned to her with a hard stare. "This had better not be a trap."

"It's not. I can't even say that I know where all the traps are. He changes the layout of this place regularly."

Rien turned to Lones then. "This will be like that maze we had to go through."

"Ah! The maze! How could I forget such a place?" Lones chuckled shouldering his scythe and floating into the corridor.

I walked in behind Lones as dad went behind me. Rayr guarded Toc who clung to him with fear.

"I can't believe I'm in the Nether and I'm actually still living."

"We're alive too," I, father and Lones all said together.

"_Ok we all are alive and are walking around in the Nether."_ Rayr growled to sum it up.

"It's so weird," muttered Toc which made me snort.

We followed the directions that Mell gave us. The feeling of the new energy grew stronger and stronger as we got closer. Netherrack blocked the barred windows everywhere we went. A random room of one pool of held lava would give us some light before we were cast into darkness once more. We stopped at an intersection that went in for directions. I placed a torch on either wall showing us that we had come from that door way.

"Nice thinking," father said to me.

"I don't know where to go from here." Mell said looking from one direction to another. "It's been changed."

I stepped next to her looking from one direction to another, feeling and listening for anything. I pointed to the left. "This way."

I led the way down the corridor. We ran into more fire tornado creatures. It suddenly hit me that every correct hallway we took these creatures of his would be there. After we killed the fire tornados I smirked. "Seems like we don't need your assistance anymore, Mell. I've figured it out on how to find Hatos."

Mell gasped at the mention of the name. "How did you know of his true name?"

I turned to her changing back into my Minecraftian self. "Because I was told by Lady Ananon and her mother. I was given the position to take up her legacy and carry it on. This legacy consisted of taking out her father, ex-King Hatos."

Mell stared at me in surprise. "You took on such a role? All for her?"

I smirked putting my hands in my pockets, my bangs falling into my eyes slightly. "Not just for her but for everyone that looked up to her. Even to those that held her important. Those that walked beside her through her life. To everyone that had some part or no part in her life, I will stand in her legacy and I will walk the path that was chosen for her."

My father and Lones smiled at me. Toc chuckled. "You've really changed, sis. If this woman was so important to you and to those people then I'll believe in her too. She seems like a really amazing person."

I turned away with a smile. "She really was. The grace of an angel. The brilliance of light. A true Lady."

Rien floated off behind me leaving Mell to collapse onto the Netherbrick. Lones looked down at her with hollow skull sockets.

"This person fueled us back then and she still does now. As someone else though."

Mell stared up at him. "I want to live on the outside. I want to live in the sun and the night. Get me out of here."

Rayr picked her up by the waist and carried her. _"Lady Sell will save all who cry out for freedom from Hatos. No one will be left behind."_

Mell's eyes, orange and dull, seemed to glaze over. Her head sunk backwards and dangled there. Toc cried out falling back. "She's dead!"

I turned back at his cry looking at the lifeless figure of Mell. "She was one of his workers. Just as Hym was. All the workers have been brainwashed by him or tricked into doing his deeds. Bring her, Rayr. We'll take her back to the surface and give her a proper burial."

Rayr nodded looking down at Toc. _"Come on."_

Toc got to his feet slowly. "So, that's it? We're just going to be carrying a dead body?"

Lones sighed shaking his head. "You have much to learn about us and our work."

We walked in silence as I followed the unsteady rise and fall of the new unknown energy. None of us were entirely sure how long we had been walking within this maze of a castle but I knew we were getting closer. We would find the end soon. We came to a dead end and I knew it was a false one. My mind hazed as I remembered something from Ananon's memory.

I punched away Netherrack to reveal a switch to my left. I flipped it to watch as a door way was revealed for us to pass through. The heat on the other side told me we were in a lava cavern. I stepped through to see a great cavern around us. A two block wide pathway of Netherbrick showed the way to the throne of Hatos.

Hatos, in his Minecraftian form, sat upon a Netherbrick throne with gold blocks that surrounded the backside. Pigmen that were milling about spun around and squealed at us, their swords raised. Father and Lones took them out easily with their scythes and fire. The pigmen squealed in agony before being forced off the bridge and into the lava lake below. Netherrack that had been set aflame lit the path as we strode forward. My eyes never left Hatos as he sat there on his throne not moving.

"Darling, did you want any soup?" asked a female that strode out of a doorway that was behind the throne. The woman stopped as we approached. The bowl dropped from her hands and crashed to the floor. "You…"

I stopped before them. Serdra, the woman that had been kidnapped by the Dark Lord stood there in shocked surprise to see us. Hatos opened his eyes and looked at us. He smirked lifting his head from his fists that he had held his head up with.

"You've come at long last, Lord Rien and Lord Lones."

"Hatos," they hissed together.

I stepped forward, going closer. He looked down on me with narrowed glowing eyes. "My most important one of all. Lady Sell!"

I smiled up at him stopping at the end of the bridge on his side. He was three yards away from me. Serdra stared into my red eyes that turned a darker shade. She looked up to Hatos worried. "Honey!"

I watched as Serdra climbed up onto Hatos's lap and hugged him. "Why is she here? What do they want?"

"I'll answer that instead of him." I said in a hard tone. "I'm here to get my brother and Skelar back plus to figure out what this energy is that I keep sensing. It's faded now but it most certainly came from here."

Hatos tipped back a drink that he was holding and drank. He let Serdra hold it as he got to his feet to step down from the throne, coming towards me.

"So you sensed what I did. What I've set out to get and have finally acquired as of just a moment ago."

I nodded. "What have you gotten into now?"

He spread his arms wide with a great grin on his face. "My dear, Lady Sell. I have finally gotten all the power that I've ever wanted! I have creations all over the Nether and now it's time to take over Minecraft with this new found power!"

"It ends here, Hatos!" I barked. A white and black cloak covered me as I bore my teeth at him. My eyes alight with my power. "This will be our final battle as we promised!"

He gave a chuckle letting his arms fall. You have a nice ragtag group behind you. Two Lords, a Minecraftian, a werewolf, and a dead body that was my helper."

"You know me; I get the strange things at strange times." I shrugged sprinting towards him. "Let's go, Hatos! Ananon's tired of waiting!"

Hatos leapt from his place down towards me with a maniac grin about his face. "Or is it you who is tired of this?"

We clashed scythes, sparks shot about us. The cave got a bit brighter for a split second again and again as if someone kept turning on and off a light. Our scythes locked with reversed blades. Each of us tugging on the poles. He cackled over to me delighted.

"Very good, Lady Sell! You keep up well! Let's see how you can handle my other state."

I flared up in my skeletal form as he did. We ripped apart our scythes, steel grating against steel, sparks dancing about. He took a bottle from his cloak and tipped it back. I watched as his exterior aura changed slightly. He chuckled with an evil grin on his skull.

He swung his scythe at me that I could barely keep track of. He had become faster! There was steel grating on steel as his scythe locked with another that wasn't mine. I looked back to see my father entering the fight.

"Dad…!"

"Sell, get your brother and Skelar! I'll fight him from here on!" Rien hissed as he pushed me away.

Lones grasped my shoulder and nodded off to the back door behind the throne. "Find them."

I was pushed away by him slightly. Rayr set down Mell's body. He strode over to me and gestured for Toc to follow.

"Come on, Toc! Let's get Des and Skelar back!" I ordered walking off towards the door behind the throne.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" snapped Serdra who leapt up and chuncked the drink at me.

I sliced the cup in half and glared. "I'll go where I please."

She leapt down blocking the door. "No! You aren't getting past me!"

"Serdra!" Hatos snapped at her. "Let them pass."

Serdra stared at him in confusion. "What?"

I pulled my left arm back and punched her with all my strength. She cried out falling against the Netherrack wall in shock. She touched her cheek gingerly crying out from the pain. We strode past and went through the door. Toc stepped behind me with a smile.

"You really know how to throw one!"

I giggled at him. "Only when I need too."

We went through a kitchen-like room before going down a narrow hallway. I stopped as I felt that strange energy again. I opened the nearest door to me to see six women sitting about the room. They turned their gaze to me, lifeless and no spirit. They had been taken by him.

"What are ya'll?"

They continued to stare not saying anything. One of the eldest ones turned her head away.

"We are not to attack until told. You are not an enemy until made into one."

Rayr and Toc looked at them funny. They looked to one another and then back to the women.

"Sell…?"

I closed the door without a word and continued on my way. They were the ones giving off the odd energy. I shrugged.

"We'll come back to them."

"Sell!" screamed a voice ahead. "Sell, help me! Sell!"

I sprinted at the scream heading towards it with Toc and Rayr behind me. "Hang on! We're coming!"

I kicked in the door to see Toc in the middle of the room with odd fire slimes and pigmen that squealed at me. They all rushed for me. I brought out my scythe and began to fight them. I was suddenly surrounded by them all and couldn't do much.

"Get Des!" I barked as I fended off the pigmen.

Toc and Rayr moved around at the edge of the room as I fought against the mobs, taking their hits and attacks. Once Des was out of the room I had the room engulfed in flames. I leapt out of the door and shut it behind me as the mobs all burned. I held the door in place panting, blood running down my face, my cloak burnt in places and tattered.

"Sell!" my brothers cried out looking me over. "Are you ok?"

I turned to them and smiled. "I'll be ok. This isn't the worst I've ever taken. Where's Skelar?"

Des thought for a moment. "They took him to a different section! I think below?"

The squeals from the pigmen got worse and worse as they got closer to death. I locked the door with a stick that I was going to use for a torch but lodged it between the door handle and the frame quite snuggly. "Come on! Let's go to the lower parts!"

"Where's dad?" Des asked as we sprinted down the hall to some stairs that went down.

"Fighting Hatos," I replied leaping the staircase and landing at the bottom heavily. I yelped as I twisted my ankle slightly. "Shit!"

_"Sell, be careful!"_ snapped Rayr as he came down. "_We're all depending on you!"_

I slowly got up and laughed lightly. "How could I forget?"

I limped off down the next flight, my body trying to recover itself from the sudden impact. The room was much darker than the others. It was a bit cooler too. Cobblestone and stone brick lined the walls and the floor here and there. It was similar to a dungeon.

"Skelar?" I called out. "Skelar?"

There was a noise of movement ahead and a hand waved between the bars. "Sell? I'm here!"

I limped over to the sixth cell to see Skelar, beaten up and scuffed in in face. Hatos and beaten him for some reason. "Are you ok?"

He nodded. "Yeah. The pigmen did this to me. They were the ones that took me down here but when I tripped over a fallen rotten arm they beat me to comply."

I turned to Rayr and nodded to the fences that held him in there like cage bars. "Get him free."

Rayr beat the fences and got them to break apart at last, letting Skelar be free. He stepped out with a smile for Rayr. "Rayr, I'm glad to see you!"

Rayr hugged him. _"I'm glad you're alright."_

I turned at the sound of footsteps and saw a pair of pigmen making their rounds. They spotted us and squealed charging. I swung my scythe, deflecting their attacks and had them burning with a swipe as my scythe flared up in flames. I spun around towards the exit. "Go!"

We all shot up the staircase that wound upwards back to the main floor. There was an iron door to seal off the staircase down as we got to the top. I shut the door and heard it lock automatically. The pigmen banged against it angrily, squealing in pain from the fire. I turned away and limped to the front of the group.

"Let's get back to dad and Lones."

We opened the door of the kitchen to step out on the side of the throne and saw that the landscape of the throne room, the whole cavern had been transformed completely. I gaped at the fires that were all around the destroyed room. Pigmen squealed and hopped about on ledges that I hadn't noticed before. Some squealed being pushed off and fell into the lava below to have a violent death. I stepped past the throne and saw that the bridge was out.

"Damn it!"

There was coughing to my right. Rayr strode forward to check it out and gasped as a hand grasped the ground. _"Lord Lones!"_

Skelar gasped and ran over to his father. "Dad!"

I stayed put as they saw to him. Des and Toc looked about for our dad but didn't see him. "Sell, where's dad?"

I too wondered that same question. Rayr picked up his injured Lord slowly. _"Sir?"_

Lones coughed blood that crept down the corner of his mouth to his chin. "Rien…" We watched as he pointed to a higher cavern above. "There…" He coughed and wheezed in pain.

Skelar grasped Rayr's arm starting to sob. "Dad! Hang on!"

I had a decision to make right there and then. An important one. It would now be life or death. "Rayr, take my brother's, Skelar and Lones back through the portal. I'll go after dad."

Toc and Des rejected the idea. "No! We'll go with you!"

"Look around you!" I barked keeping my back to them. "We're in the Nether that Hatos knows like the back of his hand! He can do as he pleases with any one of you! I'm sending you back so you won't become like Mell! Do as I say!"

Rayr, Skelar, Lones, and my brother's all went silent at my outburst. None had seen me so angry before. Rayr lifted Lones in his arms to carry him back. "_Understood."_

Toc and Des stood there staring at my back helpless on what to say or do. "Sell…"

"Repair the bridge, Des. You're good at that sort of thing." I ordered looking out at the lava watching the pigmen kill themselves.

Des did as I ordered and began to place Netherrack down to repair the bridge. "It's temporary so be quick. Go one at a time."

Rayr didn't need to walk across. He leapt the full length which was fifteen blocks. Toc sprinted across as quickly as he could. Two blocks gave away beneath him making him leap for the other side and roll to a stop. Skelar went after, hopping the two missing blocks and made it to the other side without trouble.

Des sprinted across too but met trouble when three blocks crumbled away. He gasped as he was starting to fall. I grasped his arm with a bony hand and flung him across the rest of the way in my skeletal form. I floated there, my tattered cloak waving behind me. "Get back home! Toc, get Mell's body and take it back up too. We'll bury her later."

He nodded silently. Des stood slowly watching me float off towards the upper cavern.

"Sell!"

I turned back to the call looking down at them. His eyes piercing mine.

"Bring dad home! No matter what!" Des nodded to me and held up a clenched fist. "Iron will!"

I held up my boney fist back and hissed. "Iron Will." I watched them head out of the cavern into the tunnel before I turned back and floated away into the mouth of the upper cave.

My feet touched down with clanks and began to walk down the tunnel that had been destroyed from their fighting. Dad had put up quite the fight against Hatos. I was surprised that father could do this much damage at his age. There was a slight quiver in the ground that I felt. This might be the longest battle that I'll ever have.

I began to wonder how long I could last. Would I last long enough to defeat Hatos and stop the war for good? I continued walking down the beaten and destroyed floor, making my way on down the tunnel before a light ahead made me slow. Another cavern of lava. I stood at the mouth of the tunnel and looked out to see my father lying in a crater of Netherrack below lava level. The lava began to pour in and gather just below my father's place of rest.

A cackle of evil laughter was heard above. I looked up to see Hatos in his skeletal form descending towards father.

"Oh, my poor Lord Rien! Why do you look so down?" He burst into laughter at his little joke. "You put up such a good fight though. I'm surprised by your abilities to fight this long. I applaud your will to keep going. Truly magnificent!"

I watched as my father gasped for air. His cloak billowed barely where his chest was. I could tell that some of his ribs were gone by the sunken parts of the cloak. His boney hands clawed the Netherrack in a desperate attempt to get to his feet, fight against Hatos one last time. Hatos lifted his scythe and sneered with a manic look upon his skull.

"This will be so touching a death. Lady Ananon isn't here to protect you like before! With this last strike you will be reunited with my dear daughter soon."

I flung my scythe in all of its flaming glory towards Hatos's raised arm. It sliced the arm that held the scythe from the body and fell into the lava where it was destroyed with a bubbles and sizzling for his hollow ears. He screamed a choking, hissing scream grabbing at the stump of a boney arm. It made me smile to myself to hear that. Seeing that the man that was the Dark Lord could feel pain, could be in pain and could cry out showing his pain.

"My arm! My scythe! No!"

I soared down from the tunnel. He spun around to have a powerful punch to the dome that sent him flying backwards, striking the Netherrack wall and breaking two of his upper ribs with loud cracks. Hatos cried out in a screech slightly bent. I stood on a Netherrack block that was above the lava and looked down upon my father who wheezed in agony. I raised my hand to have my scythe return to my grasp.

I bent down to my father touching his cheek bone. "Dad…"

His sockets alight with weak flames looked up to me. "Sell…Bottles…Power…"

I nodded to him saying I understood. "I know. Hang in there."

There were snaps and hissing that made me look up to see his body regenerating. Healing. He chuckled touching the reformed ribs.

"Ah…Such pure genius that witches are! Don't you agree? They can make potions and become like gods above Minecraftian's!" He grinned down at me as the right arm began to regenerate.

I looked down to see my father transform back into his Minecraftian state. He was severely weakened and about to die. I grabbed him up and began to float away as quick as I could, get him to a safer place than that crater. I set him down in the middle of the destroyed tunnel. I had no other choice but to fight.

"Dad, I'm sorry. Hang in there, ok? Just a bit more."

"What of…Des? Toc? Skel…ar?" he wheezed.

"Rayr took Lones and the others back to the surface. They'll be ok." I said gently getting to my feet. "I'll return to you when this is over."

"Sell…" he gasped as he coughed, his head turning to the side away from me, his body limp.

There was laughing that erupted behind me. Hatos was completely regenerated now. I turned back towards him striding down the tunnel, my bones clanking, echoing out into the cavern. Hatos stood in the crater smirking up at me as I stood at the edge of the tunnel.

"Saying good bye to your dear daddy?"

I stared down at him without a word. He snickered swinging his new scythe that he had materialized. He stared up at me, eager to get this over with, eager to use his new found power from potions that these witches had created for him. He was eager to take over the world like he wanted.

"Little Lady, why don't you come out to play with me?"

I leapt from the edge, falling towards the lava below, my tattered cloak snapping behind me. I landed on a small mound of Netherrack to stand about level with him.

"Hatos, the Dark Lord of the Nether and father of us all," I said in a grave voice with dark eye sockets. I pointed my scythe towards him, blade facing. The lava reflected from its curved silver sheen and erupted into fire. "Prepare yourself!"

He began to chuckle at my call for a fight. The cavern echoed with his evil crazy laughter that traveled throughout the Nether. The feeling of dread, doom, death, helplessness, and a new beginning of something great began to creep over everyone. The feeling of a much greater battle was about to be born.

**Hey guys!Only one more chapter to go and it will finish up the first book of my fanfiction series!It's been an awesome adventure with Sell and her group through these 30 chapters and her next adventures will be greater in the upcoming book!I hope you'll stick around to see how Sell gets out of this little bind and find out how the witches that Hatos captured will be saved which will be continued in book 2!Book 2 starts the new world of Minecraft in 1.9 and all of it's updates!Cya! 3**


	30. Chapter 30 Iron Will

Ch.30 Iron Will

Hatos cackled standing loosely in the crater looking towards me. _"Such a cute girl you are when you're serious!"_

I slid a foot to the edge of the Netherrack. I remained quiet, staring at him, waiting for the right time to start this. I knew his cloak didn't have any more bottles, it was too light now since it was flapping behind him. But I didn't let that thought get a hold of me.

_"What's taking you, Sell? Aren't you eager to end this?"_

"No. You are though." I slid into a defensive stance for safe measure. "You're the one with all that power."

His skeletal face grinned_. "You almost felt it too if your father hadn't blocked me. But now look at this. You get too!"_

"I'm quite excited," I replied sarcastically. "So, how many other Lord's do you have working for you?"

His hollow sockets grew a small flame that danced about. He giggled. _"I have many! What? You think you'll find them all?"_

I shook my head. "I think I'll just stick to figuring out what you want with all these Minecraftian's that are innocent. Why ruin Minecraft life? Why take over the world when it's better with life that's different on it? Why make it into a mindless place with no emotion?"

_"You're such a boring talker,"_ he growled as his eyes lit up slightly before dying down_. "Don't you know anything about me, Sell? I've lived my life as a failed father to my actual daughter but I can't fail as a father to you or the Skeletal race. I mean, I can be how I want to you all!"_

"You're a failed father to us also!" I grasped my scythe slightly. "We never wanted a father who wanted to take our lives over in the end. We never wanted our family and friends to be mindless and stupid! Where did you get that kind of idea? Are you still living in the past, haunted by your daughter and your ex-wife?"

He ground his teeth at this and hunched over slightly. _"You…! How dare you bring up something you know nothing about!"_

"Wrong!" I barked, my scythe flared up at my anger as did my eyes. "I know _everything_ there is to know about your past! Have you forgotten Ananon's bond with me now? I'm the one that's taken her role, remember? I know everything!"

Hatos roared at me swinging his scythe. _"Shut up! You remember naught! It's all lies that she's told you!"_

I stared across the lava lake at him. He was living a lie, not wanting to remember the truth, not wanting to face the fact that he had betrayed his lover and daughter. Not wanting to admit or believe he killed them. He does know that he's been taken over by greed and selfishness. His mind is corrupt with evil from his possession.

"It's time to get you help, Hatos. I'm the only one that can do that."

He burst into laughter at this_. "Hah! Are you hearing yourself? I need help? Why? Where? How are you to help me?"_

I spun my scythe, the flames dancing about in front of me. My eyes flaring up with a raging fire. "Like this." My scythe flung itself across the lava pool in a blink of an eye, striking Hatos's scythe.

Sparks and flames flew from the impact. I leapt flying towards him, my hand outstretched as he pushed my scythe away which returned to my hand. I spun around gathering speed before extending my scythe towards him. We locked face to face, our scythes sparking as steel etched against steel, fire flaring between us. Our skulls brought back before they slammed together, a thunderous crack echoed about the cavern from the impact.

We unlocked flying away, skulls cracked from where we head butted. I sliced the air in front of me as I brought up my scythe defensively. Hatos sneered, surging towards me.

_"Sell, let's get dirty! Let's make this a battle we will never forget! You'll be reminding me everytime you serve me!"_

I blocked his attack with the flat of my blade, pushing the slicing blade this way and that. "Only with hatred of course! I'll be contemplating my revenge on you every passing second!" Our scythes locked as our flaming sockets glared at one another with raging fire.

We were nowhere near even with one another but that would be settled out once the potions wore off. I wasn't sure when that would be though. I was playing the dangerous game of roulette in a way. One slip in any place while fighting and I would be seeing the lost wanders while my body would be toyed with.

Hel leaned against a wall resting. He was in his Minecraftian form, beaten and bruised all over. He sighed pulling out a cigarette that he had kept in his back pocket for quite some time. He wasn't a real smoker but at times it helped him relax when he was in pain or sore. He brought out the cigarette and lit it with the help of a Netherrack block that was on fire. He sighed smoke that snaked up to the roof before disappearing.

"Ah…Relief." His eyes looked to the ceiling before turning back down to the destroyed, hole pitted, flaming area that once was the gate guards but now were no more.

Neither was the gate that stood here. It was long gone. He pushed away from the wall with a slight limp before heading off down the trail, smoke wisping behind him and disappearing. "What a pathetic ride. The bastards…"

He smirked tossing the locks that had fallen into his face. His mind recalled the fight with the two brothers. He had them over powered in everything. Footsteps, multiple ones at that, were approaching him and fast. He stopped listening.

The footsteps were running flat out. They were all in a hurry. One's breath was troubled, very much uneven. The others panted like they had been running for a while. The footsteps were now upon him.

Rayr and the others came around the corner in a hurry. Rayr yelped sliding to a stop making everyone come to a halt. "Hel!"

Hel saw Lones in poor condition and looked to Rayr. "What happened?"

Rayr was reluctant to tell him but explained the whole situation to him. Hel listened intently at the whole story. His cigarette untouched through it all and slowly burned down. He let it drop to the ground in front of them, smoldering. He stared at Rayr intently thinking over all he had been told.

"You let her go after him even then?"

Rayr shrugged looking down at Lones_. "I had no choice. She was pissed at us if we stayed. She took off through an upper tunnel after them."_

"We wanted to go and fight but she sent us to the surface!" Toc said stepping around them to look at Hel. "Hel, you got to go back for her!"

"Go to the surface. I'll get her," Hel said stepping past them. "I promise we'll return!"

Rayr nodded after him before running off towards the portal. _"We'll be waiting at the town!"_

Toc and Des sprinted after watching Hel sprint around the corner down the corridor of the castle and out of sight. "We need to pray."

_"Pray we shall,"_ murmured Rayr as they leapt through the portal to return.

Hel sprinted through the castle smelling the scents and heading the way they had come and gone. Tracking was something that he was quite good at. There was high ringing that was on and off in the air. He slowed to a stop listening. _'That's…'_ He stood there listening to the ringing air. He closed his eyes and saw a great battle within his mind at each ring. Sell and Hatos locked in a fiery battle for life and death. His eyes snapped open as his legs pushed him forward to fly through the castle. _'Sell!'_

Sparks flew as the two scythes locked. Hatos stared at her with a grin. _"Child, you do know that I'm going easy on you. I have yet to seriously show you what I can do."_

I grinned back. "Then show me!"

The show started right as I spoke the words. I found myself flung back into the Netherrack wall. I flinched at the pain that coursed through me. Opening an eye I saw him flying towards me incredibly fast. I blocked the swipe with my scythe but was trapped by my own weapon as it was shoved against my throat.

I gasped as I felt myself choking. He sneered evilly with a low chuckle_. "Why are you hurting yourself, my dear? Stop that."_

I kicked out at him to try and get him off as my other hand tried to push his scythe away. They were pushing against my throat harder each second. My eyes bulged for air. I was going to die once again. "Hel…!"

A roaring aggressive growl was heard as a great beast flew past me to tackle Hatos onto a nearby ledge fifty blocks up over the lava lakes. I fell to the Netherrack ledge below gasping and coughing, my head lightheaded from the lack of air. My vision blurred as I looked up to see a black werewolf clashing with Hatos. It was Hel. "Hel, what the hell are you doing here?"

I pushed myself upright and grabbing up my scythe that had lost its flames. I coughed as I got my footing back. Hel roared out as Hatos flung him up against the Netherrack, burying him further in where he couldn't be seen. I surged forward swinging my scythe across Hatos's back, slicing two ribs. He screamed whirling on me and knocking me across the cavern with his scythe.

A long fracture went down the right side of my skull from the strike. I suddenly became best friends with the Netherrack, my eye sockets filled with it. I gasped from the pain in my chest. I felt my ribs and saw that I was now missing ribs myself. The pain that hit me made me weak.

My memory flashed back to when I first went up against Skelar in the ring that he had trapped us in by the redstone current. The way the sword pierced my heart with no emotion except hate. Before Skelar's heart was changed from cold to warm. The pain wracked through my skeletal body making me cry out as I grasped the Netherrack wall. I shook my skull to rid it of the bits that had filled the sockets and looked down to see that I was hanging over the lava lake.

_'Damn it! How did I let myself get into this situation?'_ I thought to myself when a yelp split the air making me look over my shoulder.

Hatos had Hel's head in his grasp and was trying to crush it. "Hel! Hel, no!"

Hel yelped and roared out trying to break his arm but was knocked away by the pole of the scythe. I distinctively heard a crack and Hel cry out from it in pain. I watched in horror as my friend, my partner, my teacher was being brutally beaten up. I pushed off from the wall to fly at them. I brought my scythe down aiming for Hatos's arm that held Hel's head but was blocked by his scythe. I ground my teeth out of anger and pain. "Bastard! Let him go!"

I pushed back against the scythe, slipping from its lock and fractured the arm with a mid-blow to the upper arm. I felt my lower rib give way at a kick that I felt strike my spine that sent me flying away once again. I collided into my same place I had been before and scrabbled to grasp the wall. I couldn't let him kill Hel! I flew back towards him, attacking, blocking his attacks with my scythe as he blocked mine.

Hel had passed out unconsciously from the pressure and hung there limply. My memory flashed back to when the Minecraftian's were being attacked by the monsters every night, in towns and cities there were less guarded, how they were killed and taken back to the Nether as energy. How they now roamed about as wandering spirits. I remembered when Hatos first went evil, his possession, him killing Ananon's mother and later on Ananon herself_. 'Bastard!'_

I battered away at his scythe, out of anger and rage for everything Hatos had done to Ananon, to the Minecraftian's, to spirits, to Minecraft its self! Memories of Lord's before me giving their lives to protect others so that they could live on, how the werewolves were being used by Hatos just to make a living, how the ogre's were being used just out of sheer stupidity and labor, how innocent woman was kidnapped just because of her anger and hatred towards different people. Minecraft wasn't a beautiful place of happiness anymore. It was being turned inside out!

_"Sell, what's happened to you, hmm? Are you too scared about my power? Are you lost at what to do?"_ Hatos sneered laughing. _"You can't even stop me! Look at you! Weakling!"_

I felt him grab me by the neck, the slice that severed my lower body from my upper and the whistling wind around me as I was flung through the tunnel that I had placed my father in. I crashed overhead and fell to the pitted floor heavily. My sockets stared at the ceiling for the longest time as I tried to grasp that I couldn't feel anything below. My spirit was leaving me, I felt my bones choking and starting to freeze. The pain that began to run up my spine to my skull made my vision fade into black.

The last thing I saw was my father's body, lying there motionless. I sensed nothing coming from him, no heartbeat, no pulse, no aura, no breath, no life. It all went black and I was stuck in the darkness with one thought_. 'I failed them. I failed them all. I've failed the Minecraftian's, the Skeletal heirs, the Skeletal race and most of all my beloved ones. We've lost!'_

My mind had me floating in darkness that was so silent. I lie there suspended in the darkness, my mind blank. Time from the past seemed to fly by me in black and white. Lady Ananon's voice, Queen Lyrena, Serdra, the villagers, Skelar, my father, mother, Toc and Des, the towns people, the Lord's, Hym, the spirits that wander about being tricked by Hatos, and Hel. It all flew past me as if my mind were remembering it all for the last time.

_'Sell…'_ a voice in a whisper called out.

My head fell back at the call.

_'Sell, what are you doing?' _the voice whispered as if it were scolding me.

"I don't am I doing?" I asked looking about lazily.

The voice that whispered seemed like it was suddenly combined into many people in one.

_'You've been fighting for your life ever since you met Hel. I'm terribly sorry for bringing you into this.'_

_'This is important for your future, dear child of the devil. You must not allow this future to happen, whatever the case may be.'_

The memory of Lady Ananon and Queen Lyrena stood before me showing me how Hatos had become the Lord of the Darkness. Something about it made my insides churn. Why? What was it that made me feel this way?

_'Sell, please know that all of this evil was because I failed to stop it. I'm so sorry.'_

Lady Ananon turned to me with a pained expression, eyes filled with sadness. As if she couldn't live with herself for dieing like she did.

_'You did your job well, Sell. You led the lost lambs of Notch to the Aether in one try. You made great strides to become a great Lady of the Skeletal race.' _

Queen Lyrena appeared smiling at me, radianting a motherly aura, so warm and comforting.

_'Your title is what all Minecraftian's have prayed for. You are The Prophecy.'_

Lady Ananon appeared ficing me with a serious look.

"The Devil's Prophecy," I corrected.

_'Yes. You are The Devil's Prophecy. Fear of the Nether and the justice of Minecraftian's. A different type of Skeletal heir altogether. You support life and death.'_

She began to fade away into the darkness leaving me alone. It began to slowly return to me. I had had these conversations before with people.

_'You are the savior for those that need help from the darkness that creeps across the land every night. The soul, a paradise for those that need salvation. Your hands, ever flexing protectively around the innocents that live. You are the Devil's Prophecy, the Savior to all, both living and the dead. Both cry out for you night and day! Sell!'_

I turned to see Lady Ananon standing there looking upset. I floated there staring in silence unable to reply. My chest burned with something I knew not of.

_'Sell, I gave you my heart to go on and stop Hatos! How could you let him beat you like this? What are you doing?'_

I felt a hand rest on my cheek bone. I turned to see the small wandering spirit Hym who looked sad and upset. Torn by something I knew not of.

_'Sell…! Look what he's done to you! Who will save us now? You said you wouldn't give up!'_

"Hym…" I whispered in a hiss. "Hym…Ananon…"

_'Sell…'_ the voice said softly but in a gentleman's tone.

I looked and saw Hel kneeling over me with a lost look in his eyes. "Hel…"

_'Don't give up just because we're gone. Others need you! Listen to them! Listen, Sell! Don't you hear them?'_

_'Sell,'_ spoke a voice that held wisdom and age.

I turned behind me to see my father. We stared at one another, my hand reached out for his. "Dad…!"

His hand reached out and touched mine. _'Listen to the voices. They call out for help everyday. All because of one man. You hear them? Their pleading voices, begging children, souls that have given up hope. Don't let them down. Don't let us down. Sell, get up!'_

_'Get up, Sell!'_ barked Hel.

_'Get up, Savior!'_ pleaded Hym.

_'Get up, Devil's Prophecy!'_ ordered Ananon.

_'Get up, Lady Sell!'_ ordered Queen Lyrena.

The pressure in my chest grew so great that it felt like it would make me explode. I cried out reaching through the darkness to grab whatever was holding me down. To push this weight from me, to let me back up and move freely. I wanted to be free again!

"Let me up!" I roared out bursting into flames.

Hatos stepped on Sell's chest cackling. He stared down at her severed body with glee. "She's dead! I've finally killed her! Savior Sell, Devil's Prophecy, Lady Sell is dead!"

He leaned over the body, putting all his weight on it snickering. "You were such a stupid bitch! Trying to fix everything I ever did! Trying to save all those Minecraftian's! You failed! Hah!"

He leaned back transforming back into his Minecraftian state, still standing on her body. He grasped his scythe and etched a small cross in her skull. The same symbol like the Lord's symbol.

"It's only fitting to place this symbol on your skull, that way the dead and gone can assault you when you get there. Heh! I hope they scream at you for your failure! It's all you deserve after you tried to kill me but it was all in vain!"

He burst into chaotic laughter that echoed throughout the Nether, filling the caverns, the castle, the throne room, and the cavern that they were in. The pigmen listened as did all the other creatures within the Nether. There was a spark that was unnoticed by Hatos's chaotic laughing, his celebration of the defeat of the Lady that was said that would kill him. Another spark flicked from her scythe. The Nether went quiet with anticipation, an unsettling feeling that soon began to creep across Hatos.

His laughter began to die as he felt the feeling beginning to affect him. He tried to push it aside but it got stronger. He let his laughter die as his eyes glared at the dead Skeletal Lady before him. "Why can't I enjoy your death?"

Her scythe burst into flames that raced across her body and engulfed her. Hatos yelped falling back and backward crawled until he hit the wall. He stared at her body in shock as her fingers twitched for a moment before they clenched. Her body burst into higher flames, glowing brighter and brighter. He held up an arm to shield from the heat and scrambled away from the fire. "What the fuck?"

Her body began to regenerate her lower limbs. Soon she was on her feet in a crouch before him. He gazed at her in shock, his eyes bulging. "No…! This can't be! You can't be alive! How?"

I crouched there in the bright flames, my energy, my spirit, my soul restored_. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? I protect the weak, restore hope in the ones that cower, allow those to hunt at night and not be fearful, I let those play in the night and not be harmed by evil. Have you not been told of me from the very beginning? Have you not understood anything that you were told?_

_ "I sit upon a throne; Lord's at hand to cover the world that cries out for help. Lift your eyes and look to me, the savior that answers to those who call for justice. Look at me, the Devil's Prophecy that brings death and justice to those that do evil by the hand of night. I comfort the people that are living, my own people that walk the night and day light. I comfort the people that are dead, my own people that have died and wander endlessly, confused and lost for all eternity."_ I slowly rose to my feet as Hatos stared at me in shock that locked him in place. My eyes lit with a bright burning fire that couldn't be extinguished_. "All who rage against me will surely be put to rest. They will be as nothing and perish. Those who rage war against me will be as nothing at all. You have seen many things but have paid no attention. It's time that you turned to me to be saved, to take you where you belong, because I am the Savior that answers to all in need. _

_"There is no other but me. All who rage against me will come and be put to shame."_

I raised my scythe, the brightly burning tool of death that I've used time and time again. Hatos clambered to his feet and sprinted back towards his throne screaming. "Serdra! Serdra! Come to me! We must run! Serdra!"

_"Why do you run, Hatos?"_ I hissed as I appeared behind him swinging my scythe down upon him.

A tall black creature appeared before my scythe, taking the strike for its master, screaming in pain and disappearing, dead. Hatos scrambled down the tunnel to the small walkway that had been destroyed and spun around in front of his throne in fear. Serdra appeared from behind the throne being followed by the six women that were shut away in a room. She grasped him tightly worried.

"To me my Enderman!" Hatos cried out holding up a green orb that had a black slit pupil within.

Dark tall figures began to appear about the cavern around him. They hissed and made odd digitized sounds. Hatos chuckled up to me, his other trick up his sleeve. "I'll be going now, Sell. This battle isn't over!"

I reappeared before him, my scythe behind me. It begun to swing forward for him. _"It will end here as all have told you!"_

Serdra screamed at the oncoming scythe blade, it reflecting in her eyes as it drew closer. The dark beings that had been called Endermen appeared grabbing them and disappeared just as my scythe was to slice through them. The Endermen all began to disappear one by one and soon the cavern was empty and not a sound could be heard. All that was heard were the pigmen squealing and dieing in the hot bubbling lava that sizzled from every death. I turned back and flew to the tunnel, scooping up my father, placing him over my shoulder gently and then grabbing Hel from the ledge where Hatos had dropped him.

I flew out of the cavern and sprinted through the castle, tracking down Hel's scent to return to the portal. This had been a very bad outcome from the start but now it was much worse. Now Hatos was in the Minecraftian world. The living world. He had the power to take over and take the innocents as he pleased.

I leapt through the portal and was returned to the El-Anash course. Placing my father and Hel against the wall I worked on closing the portal for now and destroyed an obsidian block. I took up my father and picked up Hel once more. I flew up the spiraling staircase that took us back to the entrance of the El-Anash course. As I came to the front hall I saw where father, Lones, and Lord Doyle had fought. He had put up a strong fight against father and Lones but failed in the end. As I flew through the gaping hole that used to be the entrance I was met by the Lord's of our meeting place. They were just arriving to help defeat Hatos. I touched down, grasping my father and Hel over my shoulders.

"Lady Sell!" They cried out in utter shock.

"Lord Rien!"

The Lord's took Lord Rien gently while others took Hel. My fire dwindled to nothing but wisps and soon It was out. I shifted back to my Minecraftian form and stood there, bloody, beaten up, and slashed all over. The Lord's stared at me with pain at the sight of me. I panted as the after effects washed over me.

"Hatos is in the living. He's going to take over. I wasn't able to stop him."

With that I fell forward into the sand, no energy left, weak from blood loss, and unconscious. I, father, and Hel would be taken care of by our friends. I prayed within my dreams that nothing would happen while I was out. When I would awake again I didn't know and could only hope it was soon.

**Merry Christmas guys!I stayed up just to post this for you all!My gift to you all for being great readers and returning again and again!This concludes book one of my three book fanfiction!I will change the title in a bit and give you all time to read if you haven't January book two's first chapter will come out and it will be taking place in Minecraft for 1.9!Happy New Year's to all and to all a good night! ~3**


End file.
